The Galdr of Release
by Quantum Cat
Summary: It starts with vibes, stupid things that annoy more than anything. Then those vibes become visions. Then those visions become memories. Memories of times that never happened. Finally, Midna realizes just how much she hates the heavens. Typical...
1. Chapter 1: The Rupees

**Disclaimer: The Legend of Zelda series does not belong to me in any way, shape, or form. I do not in any way lay claim on the intellectual and physical property of The Legend of Zelda series. This piece of work is entirely for the entertainment of you the reader, and in a way, me. **

**Chapter 1**

The first time it happened, Midna had just passed it off as a case of stress. Such a thing seemed to her so far away and impossible, an idiosyncratic backlash from all the danger and thrills that accompanied the two of them. It had been as if someone put a set of faint black sketches over the entire world, covering reality with their lines and shades and acting as if nothing strange was going on. The sketchy world vanished from her eyes as soon as it came, and she felt queasy for a few seconds afterwards.

The sight did not bother her as much as it should have. She had dreamt up far worse things since the whole ordeal with Zant began.

Those days, when she was lost and unstable, were nightmares. She went for days on end, with nothing but her hate for Zant and the impossible need for revenge driving her forward. Zelda had helped cure Midna of that.

When she had met Zelda, the princess told Midna of the beast of legends. Well, she told her of Farore's chosen, a warrior clad in green that was said to rise against any threat to Hyrule. It sounded enough like the Sacred Beast anyway. The only difference was that the Light still had enough favor with the goddesses to warrant such a divine intervention.

Midna had scoffed at the thought of finding the creature, but she could think of little else at the time. Even if it had been nothing but a lie, it gave her a goal, something she desperately needed at the time.

'_Perhaps__,__' _thought Midna as she reminisced on times gone by, _'that had been what the Princess intended for…what a bleeding heart.'_

Even though she thought it, there was no scorn behind her words. Zelda had already shown that her strength came not from the Golden Power, but from her heart. If it bled, that was her fault. The woman had enough composure to stand tall even after losing her entire kingdom. A woman like that would not fall so easily to the pulls and tugs of her emotions.

Nonetheless, the beast had also seemed a mere flight of fantasy coughed up by a desperate woman at the time. Imagine Midna's surprise when she found a blue-eyed beast dragged to the castle. It almost seemed the heavens themselves ordained their meeting. She smiled bitterly at the thought.

Currently, the two of them were within a cave of Snowpeak Mountain, waiting for a blizzard to pass. Normally, they would brave such weather, but Link had insisted upon finding a place for the night, absolutely refusing to climb up any higher for some unknown reason. He predictably did not respond to any of her questions or demands, instead choosing to find some small hole in which he could fit through and wait out the storm.

The hole he found however was really the entrance of a cave, for which both of them were thankful. It was bad enough they had to wait out a blizzard, but to do so in a cramped space would have been torture.

Link sat looking down at the ground, running his hand through the rocks and the ice in the cave. He had a look of intense concentration on his face as his fingers traced over them, gently caressing them as if to a lover. His green cap sat beside him, soaked and freezing to wear.

"Hey wolf," Midna said as she came out of his shadow and leaned against the wall, "Change back, would you? I'm cold."

The Hero opened his eyes and looked at her, annoyance etched into his expression. He jerked his thumb back towards his shadow, and made a noncommittal grunt. It was strange that he was so easy to understand when he said absolutely nothing.

"Can't," she replied lazily, "It ain't warm there either. _You _on the other hand, have a coat of fur, so hurry up and change back."

The dirty blond gave her a frown but said nothing, like always. The man seemed dead-set on never talking to her, even though they had already warmed up to each other long ago.

"I can change you back whenever I want you know, but then you'd never let me get close." she said, an irritated look on her face. "So would you please do this for me? I can't help if I'm hypothermic you know."

Hypothermic. What an odd word that was. Only the light dwellers used that word. Back in the twilight, no one ever had problems with temperature; there were fluctuations in it, but never were there any sicknesses associated with them.

Link however, remained adamant about his position on that. She knew that to him, being a wolf was foreign and even frightening at times, but she could tell that behind his reluctance was a part of him that howled with joy every time he transformed. Sacred beast, feral beast, or even a tamed beast (Midna bit back a laugh at that), in the end he was still just that: a beast.

He seemed determined to avoid it though, because he soon got up and walked to the opening of the cave, a four-foot tall and two-foot wide hole in the side of the mountain, thankfully protected overhead by a cliff. He bent down and looked outside cautiously, apparently not trusting the sheet of white and wind to ward off any intruders.

He grasped his sword suddenly, and in a flash, he rolled outside. Midna, startled at first, soon went after him, her face grim and scowling. Soon she heard the metallic sound of the Master Sword unsheathing, followed by what seemed to be glass breaking, somehow overriding the sound of the wind. She instinctively hugged herself as she felt the wind blast her like searing knives, cursing in her native tongue as she looked for Link.

Then it happened once more, that feeling that the entire world suddenly was a sketch. The images that flew past Midna's vision came and played like a children's book. Flipping the pages, she saw the snow blow by her face, and she saw the bright crimson of fresh blood gush out of a wounded Wolfos that moaned and whined pitifully on the ground.

Her danger sense flared and she swiveled around in the air, her hands up and crackling with her own magical power. It would not kill any serious threat, but it would certainly stall enough for Link to come.

Yelling aloud, she had her hands move as if to snap a neck. A loud crack was heard as another Wolfos yowled and jumped back awkwardly, its front leg bent at an unnatural angle. Midna narrowed her eyes and moved to perform the spell again, hoping she still had enough juice left in her for such a feat.

The Wolfos seemed to realize this and soon it pounced towards her, somehow disregarding the pain and dysfunctional limb easily. The little imp realized she did not have enough time and back away as quickly as she could. The creature would not be so easy to kill it seemed. Once again, Midna cursed her little imp body.

The Wolfos jumped towards her once more, and to Midna it looked like a set of still drawings flipping past each other, each one drawn a little differently from before. It confused her and her concentration fell apart with the headache she felt that moment.

It seemed she would die there, but as soon as the beast was within two feet of her, a sudden explosion in its side blew it away. She was thrown back from the force, but remained unharmed. Her head was spinning as she tried to regain some focus, and the migraine did not lessen.

As she came to, she managed to get a good look at the Wolfos, which was now dead and bleeding. A large part of its right side was gone or blackened with burns. Midna stared at the fallen creature with something akin to awe as she realized just what it was that happened. A bomb arrow had thrown it off course.

Sensing someone's approach, Midna quickly turned to see Link, all silent and stained with crimson. His eyes shone with a wild fury that would have killed if it could have. He had a cut along his temple, and it was bleeding profusely, only adding to the image of savage warrior he now gave off; and…perhaps it was just her, but Midna seemed to hear a strange noise coming from him, an almost wild sound.

She realized he was growling.

A shiver went up her spine. This was the sacred beast told in legends among her people. This being was her people's savior; and to think he was her wolf. It made Midna feel slightly giddy at the thought, an almost narcotic sensation.

Link walked towards the fallen beast, and stared down at it, in one hand was his bow, and it shook hard as he stared down at the beast. The Hero almost seemed sorrowful as he stood over the monster.

Midna sighed and floated over to him. The battle was over and nothing but a memory now. It would not do for him to stand out there in the freezing cold. At least the cave was warmer.

As she placed her hand on the man's shoulder, the flipbook feeling returned to her, stronger than ever. A sickly feeling came over her as she watched Link turn around in almost slow motion, expecting to see his bloody but otherwise unmarred face. What she saw was entirely different.

Links face was ruined with claw marks and gashes. A peel of skin hung off at the jaw and Midna realized that had been his lower lip as she gazed at him. He was missing one ear and the other looked halfway from being torn off. His eyes were missing, their sockets filled with blood and ice, the nerve hanging out from one. The entire right cheek of his was slashed from ear to jaw line looking like some strange flap that hid nothing of the inside.

There was no other way to react to it than to turn away. Midna did not scream as she put her hands over her mouth and leapt away from him, her nausea from before rising to unforeseen levels. She looked at Link, blinking away tears as she gazed upon his mangled face, torn apart so swiftly and silently by an unseen foe.

Wait…no, no, that was not right…Link's face was not mangled. It looked…normal. Aside from the cut above his brow, he was perfectly okay. Midna shook her head as she looked at Link, feeling her control slipping as she looked at her partner.

"Wh-what?" She muttered to himself, her eyes wide as she looked at the man that a moment before had just been dead. "H-how did…"

She could not place her thoughts into words, the concept itself too bizarre for even speech. Her constitution shook as she recalled the image, something that felt so far ago, from another lifetime even. Her consciousness warred with the memory as she looked upon Link's safe (and breathing) form.

Link for his part looked confused at Midna's strange behavior. She had seen him kill before, and in gorier ways even. Even at the start of this great mess, she had not shown the least fear or disgust at the death he left in his wake. Something had shaken her up, but he was unsure as to what.

Whatever it was however, she would not tell him if he tried to force her; Midna was nothing if not proud, and no amount of coercion from him would change that. Instead, he turned to his game and began to evaluate which of the two Wolfos corpses would taste better. Food was scarce in these places, and he wanted to conserve as many of his rations as possible.

As he inspected the corpses, he suddenly remembered that he was outside in a blizzard, albeit sheltered by the cliff on top. It seemed that the adrenaline was finally wearing off, and he grunted with effort as he lifted his first prey onto his shoulders. The entrance was some ten feet away, and dragging it would only cost him energy in this wind.

He looked back towards Midna, who was inspecting the dead body of the Wolfos that nearly got her. He snorted, as he knew that she knew little about which meat was better between two similar bodies. She was just pretending that nothing happened. He smiled a little as he looked at her. Good ol' Midna.

She caught his eye and saw he was going back. "Hey." she asked as she caught up, floating near his head, seemingly unconcerned with the body weighing him down. "Did anything happen during the fight? Something strange, maybe?"

She sounded guarded, and the cursed princess knew Link would notice that. His skills as a wolf were almost as sharp as when he was human, and she would not be surprised to know if he could smell her lie. The young man had surprised her enough with his unnatural abilities.

Thankfully, though, he did not press her for an explanation, as even she was unsure of what she saw back there. The last time that foreign sensation took hold of her was in Arbiter's Grounds, in a room full of Stalfos. She had not been fighting that time, but the feeling had taken hold of her in that room and she remembered the queasiness that accompanied it as she returned to reality; however, there had been no horrific image to go with it that time. Link had noticed nothing then, but that was because she had been in his shadow.

The Twilight Princess was wary of this sudden development. Could Zant have done this? Or perhaps she was sick with some strange disease from that realm. A bad reaction to Zelda's spell, maybe?

Whatever it was, Midna was determined not let Link see anything wrong with her in the future, if it happened again. Her wolf had enough on his plate to deal with, and adding an extra scoop of crazy Twili was an inconsiderate course of action. The last thing both realms needed was for their savior to be fretting over her mental health.

* * *

It was cold. It was incredibly, torturously, immutably, ineffably, impossibly, agonizingly, cold.

Such were her thoughts as Midna stared at the bedchamber that housed the shard of the Twilight Mirror. There were some windows up high, but even then, they looked to be made of ice and not glass, Midna grumbled under her breath about "crazy Light weather" as Yeta made her way across the chamber.

Observing from Link's shadow, the imp narrowed her eyes at the mirror across the room. She heard in this realm that they were alternatively called 'looking glasses' but she could see little reason for such a thing. Why would one wish to look at one's self? Vanity did not need such an object to act through where she came from. In her realm, mirrors were used in all kinds of magic, often times as amplifiers or mediums for communication.

Midna considered what would happen if she looked into the Twilight Mirror. Would she regain her lost power through it? Would she reclaim her true form if she looked into that shard? How else would she open the door to the Twilight? Surely, it would only recognize her as her true self, unstained and regal looking. Mirrors, after all, were fickle things.

Her thoughts were interrupted as she saw that Yeta had yet to move from in front of the mirror. An ominous feeling fell over Midna, and even the room seemed to have darkened. The Twilight Princess looked at the windows, feeling anxious at an even further drop in temperature. Anymore and even Link would be unable to move.

Looking towards her companion above her, Midna saw that he too noticed the change in atmosphere. He had not drawn his sword yet, but the Hylian looked primed and ready for a fight. His jaw tensed and his shoulders squared, Link looked ready to leap towards an unsuspecting prey. Shifting his weight onto his rear foot, Link bent down and laid his hand on the handle of the Master Sword.

The air was palpable with tension as both of them stared at the Yeta's back, which seemed to sway under the spell of some unknown force. Midna smirked and readied herself for what seemed now an inevitable fight. Some curious part of her idly wondered what possessed Yeta to act like this.

"Pretty…so…so pretty…" Yeta whispered, as if in answer to Midna's question. "Me look…pretty…and…happy…"

'_The Mirror,' _Midna realized, her eyes widening, _'the Mirror's doing this.' _

Suddenly the Twilight Princess found herself happy she had not looked at it too deeply, even from this distance. Something reflected in the Mirror was causing Yeta to lose whatever grasp of sanity she had.

"NOT TAKE MIRROR!" screamed the female yeti all of a sudden, startling the two of them with her sudden appearance. Her head had literally _twisted _and revealed a monstrous visage; a bat-like creature with protuberant red eyes now occupied the place where Yeta's face ought to have been. Its fangs protruded from her mouth almost comically, but the nightmarish contortion ruined the effect.

"NOT TAKE MIRROR!" It shrieked, shocking both of them with its pitch. It sounded just like a ReDead! "MIRROR MINE! MINE, MINE, MINE!"

The Hero's temporary stupor vanished as his brain registered that he was imminent danger, and it did not in fact look pretty.

Jumping forward, Link pulled out his sword at the last second, seeking to end the conflict quickly. Yeta however, seemed to have undergone more than just a split-second plastic surgery, because as the blade came down on her, a wave of freezing wind blasted Link away from her. He landed on his feet with inhuman grace.

Midna frowned and narrowed her eyes as she saw that. If Link could not take her down easily then the Mirror had changed her far more than she expected. Just what had it done?

"Hyaa!" Link yelled as he once more made to injure Yeta, bringing out his shield to help block against any more attacks.

Something was wrong though. Midna could see that, Yeta had yet to move from her spot. The little yeti that once seemed so helpful and innocent now seemed dangerous and cunning. The look in those red eyes of hers was mad, a frenzy of emotion and such want that Midna was sure that Yeta was no longer sane. No rational mind could ever be so callous as to accept a blow from the Mas-

"Shit" she cursed suddenly, "Link wait!"

Then the feeling returned to her once more. The world turned to an artist's sketchbook. Pasty oily colors flooded her vision, and Midna threw up a little inside her mouth as her entire perception of the world rebelled. Sound became touch, sight became taste, and Midna, disoriented and drunk from reality's sudden chaos, became little more than a doll.

Even so, that doll saw Link. She saw him stop in his tracks and jump back, only to have a spear of ice emerge from the ground behind and stab through the chainmail fast as an arrow.

She saw him keep going, ignoring her cry and running headfirst into a freezing wind, his whole body freezing perfectly. With not a single stray piece of ice, he was like a statue. And then his head shattered into pieces as Yeta rammed the statue with all her might. _  
_

Midna saw him leap to the side, avoiding the spear and circling around Yeta's freezing breath. With shield up high, and sword drawn low, he nicked one of the yeti's short legs, drawing blood and screams from the monster, only to die as pieces of glass fell from shattered windows and sliced through his neck.

She saw him cover himself from the shards, protecting his weak spots, only to see him die minutes later, crushed under the weight of a statue of ice that surrounded the transformed yeti.

The Twilight Princess saw him die over a dozen times. Never did he seem to notice. Instead, he dodged and blocked the statues that fell from the ceiling; he scored hits and blows to Yeta that she apparently could not counter; he skirted across the iced floor with his human legs easily, as if he had always known how to do so.

Link grunted once more, as he launched the ball-and-chain towards what Midna now dubbed Blizzeta. She could see his sweat, his exertion across his face, as he drew upon strength he should not have to defeat this ghastly creature. She could feel the immensity of his power as he dueled with that fierce beast full of wanton vanity and greed.

There was a reason, she realized, that a golden goddess had chosen Link as her vessel for the Triforce.

Blizzeta cried out as the steel ball smashed into her, shattering the unbreakable ice around her as if it were made of glass. Her screech, amplified by the acoustics in the room, once more reached painful heights, and Link stopped his assault on the ice monster.

This was all the chance that Blizzeta needed. Her raving had dissolved into incoherent babble, a kind of gibberish all monsters seemed to share with each other, but her voice came back to the realm of the sensible, and Midna heard her shriek one last time before plunging straight towards Link in a desperate break for victory.

"_MINE_!"

Link, disoriented and tired, did not notice the shadow beneath him growing larger and larger as Blizzeta fell ever closer to his tired form. Nevertheless, Midna was looking right at him, and she felt the shadow growing with each millisecond, and she saw his pained face. Hero or not, Link was almost at his limit. Even so, she could not let him die.

Disregarding her own sickened state, Midna forced herself to call out. "Link" she roared from within his shadow, "get your furry butt moving _now!" _

The Hylian man looked at her briefly for a second, and Midna hoped she did not betray her fear or her dazzled state. His eyes hardened once more, sharpening into the finest swords possible, and with some of his last strength, Link rolled to the side, barely avoiding Blizzeta's crushing crystal.

He let out some kind of garbled sound of surprise at the enormous object that had fallen from the ceiling. Shock written across his face, the wolf-man lifted his sword for one last blow. A look of deep effort was on his face as he wielded his legendary blade, betraying just how exhausted he really was.

Midna saw him deliver the final blow to Blizzeta, but at the same time, she saw him collapse from the exhaustion. She saw Blizzeta fall to the Master Sword, in unison with seeing the yeti regain a second wind just in time to freeze him once more.

'_Oh my shadow,' _she thought as she gazed upon the images, finally realizing what it was, _'What is going on?'_

The world of sketches and paintings vanished once more.

* * *

"I need that book, mutt."

Link shook his head vigorously. He seemed adamant about not spending his money.

"I don't care if you want to ration the thing. You can look for those bugs again if you wish to." Midna responded from his shadow.

Her wolf, though, looked less than pleased with the prospect of meeting Agatha again. Apparently, he still remembered how she nearly jumped him after he left her house with one bug hidden carefully in pocket. The poor mutt only returned weeks later, and that was because he was in desperate need of money for a bridge.

"The girl loves you, Link," Midna hissed at him. "She's not stupid enough to try and molest you in search of bugs again."

She imagined it was hard to maintain a conversation with your shadow without being too conspicuous, especially in the market district of Castle Town, but she cared little for his difficulties then. She had caught sight of a book that might just provide answers as to why she was suddenly being bombarded with horrific visions, but her wolf was being too stubborn.

Link directed an annoyed look at her, before shifting his gaze over to a nearby inn. To others, it may have looked like he was looking at the ground, but Midna caught the meaning easily enough. He wanted an actual bed for once.

"You're spoiled. You've been hanging around that peasant for too long." She replied spitefully, referencing Ilia with a sour expression, though he could discern her features while she was in his shadow. "She pampers you like you're some kind of king."

Link did not stop walking, but his pace increased. His face was a mask of pure pleasantry to anyone looking from the outside, but a spark of anger had ignited a small fire within him.

Midna smiled, and licked her mouth. He really was a dog through and through. Unending loyalty to those he called friend or master. A pity that trait of his was so easily exploitable at times.

Idly, she wondered what he considered herself. A friend? Or his master?

The two of them were in pursuit of some lead on the next location of the Mirror Shard. Both of them knew the next two were in the ancient forest and the heavens, and Midna had a rough guess that one was likely around the Sacred Grove. Magic tended to attract magic, and that place was saturated with a kind that screamed "Come Here!"

'_Now if only we knew how to get there,' _Midna thought as she silently observed Link head towards a shop to stock up on potions and arrows. _'Little wolf won't let me get my book either. What a wonderful trip this is.'_

It was petty and childish of her, but things had been accumulating on top of each other far too rapidly lately. Even her regular snarky way of speaking was losing its flavor. A couple of answers to her questions would be a great relief to her, but Link was just getting in the way.

He did not know of her ability. As far as she cared, he did not need to know. He managed perfectly fine most of the time without her assistance, and those few times she did help, always ended well. He had yet to really die, and Midna wanted to keep it that way. If he knew she could apparently see the future, he would begin slacking off, and that was unacceptable.

Out of the corner of her eye, she caught sight of something. Craning to see what it was from within the shadow, her eyes widened as she saw the same book she wanted earlier on display. Turning to see if Link had spotted his shadow's strange behavior, Midna grinned to herself as she looked about the shop. It was empty of customers with the exception of Link and some weary looking old man.

Seeing as how Link was busy with the clerk, and the old man was looking wistfully at the cheap iron swords and axes that lined the wall, Midna decided to snatch the book before anyone looked her way and noticed a shadow not looking the way it should.

Stealthily rising out of the ground, Midna silently floated towards the book. Reaching out, she plucked it from its bookcase and held it up as if to reassure herself that it was indeed the book. Giggling to herself, the imp annexed herself back into Link's shadow with fluid ease.

She waited to see if Link had noticed, but he made no apparent motion to indicate so. She sighed in relief. She would return the book to some other store that sold them later, but for now she needed some answers, and she had a hunch that it had some for her.

Link gathered his things and began to leave. He opened his wallet, picked out some rupees and dropped them on the counter. Then, he made his way towards the exit.

"Wait a minute…Hey!" called the clerk. Link turned around. "You gave me 25 extra!"

Midna froze. _'No way.' _she thought, _'He didn't…'_

Link dismissed the man's concerns with a wave, and left the store. The sun shone brightly on his face outside, and he took a moment to look down towards his shadow.

Midna avoided looking at her wolf. She did not think she would be able to stand the look on his face. He was no longer angry, and that only made it worse. She could feel it, his smile and his understanding, and she wanted none of it.

Looking at the book, she saw just how much it cost. Written in ink at the top right, Midna closed her eyes and took a deep breath to steady herself. She could feel her hands holding the book clench so hard it hurt. Her ached with how much she was gritting her teeth.

It cost 25 rupees.

'_Why do you have to be so hard to cheat, mutt?' _she asked him in her mind, _'Why can't you just act like the dog you are?' _

Regardless of the answer though, Midna did not say a single thing to Link for the rest of the afternoon. Eventually, after much hunting and fruitless searching, the green clad Hero had decided to spend the night right outside the city, near the river on the west side. He had had enough money for a wash and a decent meal at Telma's bar, but unfortunately, she did not have a spare bed to rent out, and none of the inns in town would allow him a night's stay with what he had left.

The diminutive Twili shifted uncomfortably as she observed her wolf twiddle a long blade of grass between his lips. She could not come up with the right words to convey her feelings, but she doubted he would care about such trivial things. Words were a medium he had long surpassed.

The light of the fire made him seem edgier to Midna. The light bore his face for the world to see, all its virtues and defects, with nothing hidden or exposed, but what she saw in him did not explain away his actions that afternoon.

"You dumb mutt." She said, drawing a glance towards herself. Her hackles rose as she looked at him and his blade of grass, so ingenuous and peaceful despite all the nightmares they had seen and had yet to face. "You moron."

Link only smirked wolfishly at her, somehow baring his teeth the same way his other form did. There was little to say about his expression, except that it was triumphant.

That was what it was, nothing but a game to him, a game that he thought already won.

Midna glared at him now, her face pulled back into a snarl. She reared her arm as if to claw him, but she stopped herself. If this was nothing but a game to him, she would be damned if she played by his rules.

Bringing out the book from within the shadows, Midna's expression changed to her familiar haughty expression of superiority. Link had not yet read the book, or even got that much of a look at it. All he had known before was that it cost him a good night's sleep and that his Twili friend wanted it.

Midna sniffed arrogantly, flipping the book in the air with her magic, juggling the leather bound object like a ball. The green clad Hero observed her silently, still chewing on his blade of glass.

Grabbing the book as it fell, Midna dangled it above the fire, holding it by the top of the spine. With a devilish gleam in her eyes, the little imp relished the look of sudden shock on her wolf's face as he watched her.

Before he could even move to stop her, Midna dropped it into the fire.

The Hero moved. Throwing his gloved hands into the fire, he clutched at the book, hoping to retrieve the book for which he sacrificed a warm bed. His hand dove through the flames and even touched the touched the book, but a faint noise riding on the wind caught his attention.

Diving to the side and letting go of the book, Link saw a flaming arrow strike the fire, burying itself deep within the book. He turned around, a deep scowl on his face, and sword in hand. Two more arrows flashed passed over him, each missing the top of his head by barely an inch.

Midna entered his shadow, miffed at the sudden interruption, but wary all the same. An arrow from a Bulbin could kill just as easily as a giant monster. Link was still mortal, Chosen Hero or not.

The world changed once more.

She saw it all happen. No longer did she feel nauseous as everything she saw changed into that picturesque world that spoke of untold stories.

"Left!" she yelled out, her tone authoritative and unquestionable.

Her world did not lurch on its heels as Link dodged a diving crow that came at him from behind. Looking up, she saw the black birds circling the two of them.

Link sheathed his sword and brought out his boomerang. The fairy of the winds ululated beautifully as he held her in his hand. He threw the boomerang with incredible precision towards the crows. A miniature hurricane swept them up, swirling them around as if they were just leaves. Some fell, others managed to stay flying, but disorientation halted any further attack.

The green clad man did not hesitate to strike the birds. His sword cut through their small bodies as if they were warm butter, and in a matter of seconds, all but two of the birds were dead.

More arrows came from the direction of Hyrule Field, this time accompanied by the growls and war cries of Bulbins. They dressed in the tanned carapace of their boars, riding those hogs like equine. Little wisps of smoke trailed along the mouths of those boars, as if it were breathing fire.

Midna saw him receive those arrows, but they were moving too fast for her to say anything. They pierced him easily, breaking through the ages-old garb with ease. Link cried out in pain but stood firm. He fell into a ready stance and brought out his shield, his stony expression turning murderous as he gazed upon the Bulbins.

A boar was approaching them at rampaging speeds. Its mouths was frothing with madness, and it squealed pitifully as its masters urged it along. The Bulbins atop it were only two, with the one sitting behind carrying weapons.

Link did not budge as the boars came closer and closer. Midna wished for him to see the danger he was in, to acknowledge the force of nature that he possibly could not move even with all his strength. The man faced forwards, not a hint of retreat in his expression.

'_Dammit!' _she swore as she watched her friend stare down the unstoppable forces that was the seething boar, _'I need some visions! He's going to get killed!'_

For some reason now, the visions were not coming to her. Midna focused on the sensation, hoping somehow to bring out those sequential images, but to no avail. Panic began to reach her, but she ignored it, too intent on saving her mutt's life to care much about such frivolities.

Seeing as how this obviously was not going anywhere though, Midna decided to go about it differently.

"Move it!" she hissed at him, from above his ear. "Stop being macho and get out of their way. You think you can help anyone if you're maimed?"

Link's eyes flicked to her briefly for a moment. He let out a snort and huffed, but relaxed his stance and turned to run.

Midna let out a quiet sigh of relief, thankful that he was not so proud as to actually think of taking such a rampaging beast head-on. It seemed that there was still more human than beast in him. At that moment, Midna was grateful to high heavens that he was born without a tail. He could still deal with the Bullbins too.

_Shing!_

"Grrk!"

Midna whirled around at the unusual sound. There, coming towards them, were the Bulbin atop their hog. The only difference from before was the fact that the Master Sword was now sticking through the two of them. They two creatures rode limply across the field, held together by the blade like a kebab, their weapons on the ground behind them.

The Twilight Princess' eyes widened. Despite how enraged she knew should be for him facing certain death once more, she could not bring herself to feel so. That display of power from her wolf was just too damn impressive not to appreciate. The monsters could not have been less than thirty feet away when they were hit!

She looked down at her side. Link was standing with his arms crossed, glaring at the hog that was still approaching, albeit a lot more slowly than before.

As the large animal approached, it eventually settled into an odd kind of trot. It no longer looked mad, and the froth at the edges of its mouth was gone, making it look like one of its kin from the desert. It stared at the two, hero and Twili, and it snorted happily once satisfied.

Link pointed to the bodies of the two Bulbins atop its saddle. Almost instantly, the hog shook them off its back, dropping the corpses to the ground as if they were sacks of flour.

The two of them watched the hog go, its short stubby legs almost propelling it into the air with joy at being freed from the control of those monsters.

A moment of silence passed between them. Link made to extract his sword from the bodies, putting his boot in the face of the first Bulbin, he slowly extracted the blade of evil's bane from the chests of the two monsters. A sickly sounding hiss escaped the hole in their bodies as he removed the blade.

The Master Sword had no stain on its sheen metal to speak of. Not a single drop remained on the legendary blade. Its edge still shone with a deadly beauty, no trace of death marking it.

Midna looked away. The blade's pristine surface never failed to unnerve her. It was unnatural, magical weapon or not. She had never seen a blade so perfect that it could withstand more battles than an army, or even ages upon ages of time. Its complete and absolute utility was not of this world.

"Just…just what are you?" Midna asked him later as they sat around a fire, cooking the meat from the dead Bulbin. No other monster was going to bother them for the rest night thanks to the smell of blood surrounding them.

Link sat on the ground and winced as he began to go through his bag, searching for something to dress his wounds. Pulling out a bottle, he released a fairy, wincing as the healing magic worked its way through his system. With a deep breath, he yanked the first arrow out of his thigh, a look of intense pain across his face. He did not scream; he never said anything outside of battle.

After a while, Link regained his composure and pressed down on the first of his wounds, which was already halfway healed.

She knew it was discourteous of her to not help, but she did not care. She doubted he did either.

**End Chapter 1**

Author Notes: Hello mates! This is the start of a new fic, one that I aim to finish and to improve as I go along. However, for those who do remember something similar a few weeks ago, this is that story, except this time I will make it a full blown story and not just a oneshot.

There's not much to say aside about it now aside from the fact that it will obviously involve the Twilight Princess game. Also, I must thank GerudoGirl89 for doing all the gritty beta work for this chapter. Without her help, the pacing would be a lot more off.

Well, you all know the drill by now don't you? Please leave any reviews and/or criticisms, as I am always seeking to improve.

Until next time people!


	2. Chapter 2: The Flower

**Disclaimer: The Legend of Zelda series is in no way whatsoever mine. This piece of fiction is using characters and features from that franchise purely for entertainment purposes only. I do not intend to gain anything by writing this work aside from the satisfaction of writing and criticism on how I may improve**.

**Chapter 2**

The gods of the light world were out to get her. There was no other reason for them to travel entire country of Hyrule searching for some of the ugliest statues she had ever seen, only to return back where they started. The damned things were hidden incredibly well, and for a few moments during it she wondered if they would ever find them all.

The desert, the forest, inside Death Mountain, and even the lakeside…if she ever returned to her realm none of her subjects would ever believe all the places she had been. _'At least none of the things were underwater,' _she thought as she mentally reviewed everywhere they had revisited. _'Yeah, that was really lucky…'_

Midna was no fool. She had seen how there was always something for Link to do, something that would always somehow help him get closer and closer to his goal. Whether it was saving a Zora Prince or even wrestling his village mayor, fate seemed to conspire in Link's favor at every turn.

'_Statues that supposedly last for hundreds of years without breaking to piece or succumbing to civilization? Please,' _Midna thought derisively. The simple fact that there were statues at the Lake, on the small patches of land that were not underwater, only increased her suspicion.

Midna watched as Link rammed his sword through the skull of a Bokoblin. The beast let out a weak cry as it crumpled to the ground like a puppet with its strings cut.

Hyrule Field even seemed to be safer nowadays, with fewer monsters dominating the area. That was the only Bokoblin they had seen and they had been riding for hours already.

Either Link had some really highly placed friends, or he was born with the devil's luck.

The Twili sneered at the thought. "Luck? Hah!"

Luck did not exist in her world. You either built a favorable road for yourself, or ended up falling into the endless void. Life did not give anyone any second chances. Somehow, though, her ancestors had managed to bring peace to the chaos that prevailed for years among the tribe.

Midna touched her fang with her tongue. She clenched her fist as she thought of the magic that caused her pain: the Triforce of Power. When the goddesses rejected your people, it was hard to sympathize with the plight of those that still held their favor, especially if their remnants cursed you to existence as an imp.

Kakariko's gate was coming in view now. They had long ago crossed the bridge that connected the Faron province with Lanayru. The trail behind was free of and bloodshed, for the most part, which Midna was glad for. She had gotten tired of Link having to slaughter the monsters too stupid to know when to retreat. Those times always ended up as annoying detours.

As they made their way into Kakariko riding atop Epona, Link wasted no time and went straight for the shaman's house. He barely returned a nod to the Gorons guarding the entrance to the village, and he did not even bother to acknowledge Talo's cries from his lookout point. It seemed her wolf was rather eager for something else.

"Remember," she whispered into his ear as he entered the incense miasma characteristic of Renado's house, "No shagging until we're done with Zant okay? A couple minutes of cuddling and kisses and then we're gone."

Link waved her away, an irritated on his face. His hand passed right through her in her shadow form, and she snickered as she saw Ilia approach Link. The poor dog had way too many things hanging in the balance of this quest of his. The peace of Hyrule, the safety of his home and friends, the best sex he would ever get from this girl in front of him…

The red-haired Twili sighed and relaxed a little as she watched her wolf fall to pieces in front of his peasant girl. It was plain to see that the air between them had not been cleared, with something else preventing the two of them, or specifically Link, from falling back into the comfortable role they each shared in their relationship.

Ilia touched a scar on his temple. That was from that fight at Snowpeak, if Midna remembered correctly, the one where she first experienced those visions.

The Hero, for his part, did not shy away from the touch. Instead, he seemed to lean into it, as if asking for Ilia to heal it with her gentle caress. There was a wistful look in his eye as he stared at Ilia, and it seemed she noticed that, because soon she removed her hand.

Midna scoffed to herself as she observed this. _'Feh. Another bleeding heart,' _She thought, but then frowned as she remembered the first one.

Zant was a dead man walking, and this she vowed.

"Link," Ilia said, her voice soft but firm, "I know that you've changed. I can see that even without touching you, but-" here her voice choked for a second, "just . . . just be Link when you're done okay?"

Link tilted his head to the side, as if confused by her question. Even so, his demeanor visibly brightened as he gave her a sincere nod.

'_I wonder, though,' _Midna thought as she saw the exchange, _'If he'll even have a choice?'_

Her opinion of Link had changed since the night of the Bulbin attack. She had thought him tame, but his actions that day had caused a great unease to begin stirring within her as time passed.

Though the book had not provided much info at all into the origin of her unique ability to see Link's death or dead body several times in the course of seconds, it had lent her some insight of the story behind the Hero chosen by the gods. As she progressed through the book, she learned that after defeating various mighty foes that threatened Hyrule's existence, the Heroes were never given a rest.

Blood, sweat, and tears, all that and more, all that they shed to achieve their goal, suddenly became obsolete as they defeated adversary after adversary. There were rumors that the Hero's of times past lost their link to the Triforce, thus making them as mortal as any other, but many retained the mark somehow. It was like a show that just kept going on for them, with no one to watch but themselves.

It made Midna sick. Was fate really so fickle as to play with the lives of all those men and suddenly declare them useless when they were done with the job? Was this going to happen to her wolf?

'_No,' _she realized suddenly, looking at the two humans, _'Wolves bow down to no one but their masters, be it themselves or another. And fate isn't the one holding the leash here. I am.'_

The thought was not as reassuring as she wished it were.

* * *

'_Oh…oh wow…that was…'_

She found herself at a loss for words as she stared up at the storm clouds that had gathered. She was aware that her mouth was open, drinking up the water that fell from the heavens, but she could not care. Her hair tingled as she brought a hand up to it.

Midna stared at her tiny little hand, noting even among the confusion that was her mind, that she was still an imp. It seemed that even the power of the Fused Shadows really were not enough for her to revert to her original form.

The Twilight Princess had harbored some hope that by using the full power of the ancient artifacts she would be able to break the curse upon her body, but even that resulted in failure. It seemed that she had slain Zant out of pure spite then.

She felt a tired chuckle escape her. Once upon a time, she would have felt guilty at such a thing, but she no longer cared. The past was the past, and there was no changing it. All she could do was look towards the future.

She heard someone walk up to her, the sound of the man's boots muffled somewhat in the pattering rain. Turning to see, Midna saw the feet of her wolf in Hylian's clothing. She smiled satisfied with his appearance. There was no point in denying he was attractive even by her standards, but she was not happy about this, it was the fact that he had been worried. _'Silly little wolf.' _

Link picked her up, cradling her as if she were a child. She struggled at the embarrassing situation, but that was more out of general principle than any real shame. A princess should not be carried by her ward as if he were her equal.

'_Who am I kidding?' _she thought as she quietly nodded her head against his chest, _'He's the Sacred Beast for shadow's sake! If he doesn't have the right, who does?'_

After several minutes of Link waiting for her to recover her strength, Midna finally reoriented herself with her surroundings, and melted back into his shadow. The man's face was carefully blank of anything betraying his thoughts or feelings, but Midna was grateful all the same. She had no clue what he felt but, she could guess the thought running through his head.

It was almost over.

The mere concept of it made an ecstatic shiver travel down her spine. She wanted to laugh, but she schooled her features into a grim visage whenever Link glanced her way.

Link looked up at the castle. There was anticipation in his skin, something that threatened to burst forth and wreck havoc across this last fortress. He knew that there was a chance he could die in that castle, Midna had made it perfectly clear to him that he could very well die from just about anything during their walk to the barrier.

Even so, he could not help but want to laugh, but he kept his cool and watched the castle, drinking in the image for future reference, and appreciate the beauty of it.

A loud clap of thunder signaled the beginning of his adventure into the castle.

The fights that followed were vicious. It seemed that now that they were so close to the ending, fate had decided to play for the other side. Enemies came in formations now, much better ones than the haphazard forces of the desert Bulbins. There was a method to the madness of it all, as Link cut through and made his way towards his goal, with madness in his own method.

It took him the better part of the entire day just to clear the garden of its pests, and at the very end of it, Link was panting and aching all over.

"Rest," Midna told him, as she pinned him with her whole body. It spoke of how exhausted Link was if he could not move even her tiny body aside. She was surprised he had lasted as long as he did against King Bulbin.

Link grunted and tried to get up, but he could barely lift his arm, let alone push Midna off him. That did not stop him.

Midna pushed his arm away easily, narrowing her one visible eye at him with annoyance. "If you move so much as a finger, I swear I'll bind you for the rest of the night and make you sleep hogtied." She heard a threatening rumble in his throat. "We might die soon anyway, so maybe I'll have my wicked way with you too."

She ended that last sentence with a gentle touch to his face; she looked at him with what she hoped was a seductive expression. A small part of her mind wondered if imps could even do seduction.

Link's sharp blue eyes stared at her with something akin to astonishment. Then, fast as the shock came, something that sounded suspiciously like a snort escaped, and then he dissolved into a weak laughter that carried more emotion than he would ever dare admit. He closed his eyes and felt his gut ache painfully as the laughter left a knife in his side.

The young Twili was not surprised. Instead, she too began to laugh as she considered the idea as something more than a spur of the moment thing. It had a certain appeal to it, and she would not lie to herself, because some part of her wished it were possible.

Would the gods ever stop playing with their lives?

A sudden cold feeling gripped Midna at the end of that thought.

Midna felt herself vomit a little as the images flashed through her head. Arcs of power danced across her mind as the sounds and sights rushed in, flooding her senses with information that she never knew. Her skin registered pain and pleasure at once as memories that were never hers rushed through her mind.

Times that never came to be, such as Colin's death at the hands of King Bulbin, or a bombing of Kakariko. . . such things entered her. Midna found herself remembering things that never existed or suddenly vanished. The Master Sword falling deep into the pits of the lake, the Sages never assisting Midna or Link with information. . .

This…was not the future. This was the past, this had already happened.

Midna shook her head, and gripped her helmet as if to steady herself. Her eyes hurt as they witnessed chains of events that never happened or could never happen.

Link losing an arm to the shadow beasts in the Mirror Chamber.

Zant imprisoning her in the dungeons of the Palace of Twilight.

Zelda scorning her for her appearance.

It all made Midna want to scream. She could not for some reason; otherwise, she would be tearing her vocal cords to pieces. The red head was barely aware of the real world anymore. She felt Link holding her, but that seemed meaningless to all the lives she was suddenly living.

There were strangers in them too. People neither she nor Link ever met in their travels. One man was dressed in all green, hanging in the air by a red balloon. There was girl, also a redhead, and she looked to be taking care of a horse. A strange mask flashed past her, and terror seized Midna as she felt something abominable hiding within the mask.

It was as if someone had unplugged the stopper preventing mortals from recalling perfectly the lives of all those lost to history. Midna clenched her fist, trying to will it away with her focus. No such luck.

After what seemed like years, Midna felt the past retreat. Her breathing was heavy and labored as she gripped the fabric of the tunic beneath her.

Staring at nothing, and feeling far too small, Midna struggled to remain conscious. A coppery taste in her mouth told her she had bit the inside of her cheek too hard. The Twili winced as she rubbed her face with her hand. "Dammit."

It was still tender, but nothing more than an annoyance that was going to pester her the rest of the day.

A rough hand came down and shook her gently. Midna swore and closed her eyes, steadying herself before she opened eyes and glared at Link, who seemed unperturbed by the deathly gaze.

"I'm okay," Midna lied, easily and perfectly, "I just felt woozy, that's all."

The blond man gave her a disbelieving look before he shook his head before he put it back down. He stared at the sky, saying nothing. By now, the storm had already gone and all that remained were the marshy grounds and the wet duo lying right in the middle.

After a few moments, Link began to get up and Midna made to stop him, but his strength seemed to have returned to him by that point. He pushed the little Twili abruptly, knocking her to the ground, surprising her with the sudden action.

Link stared at her intently, but his gaze was only met with grumbling. She knew he was testing her to see if she really was okay. She was not, but her pride would never let her admit it, especially to her wolf.

"What are you waiting for? Let's go." She said as she floated up to eye level and threatened to kiss him with her proximity. "Can't have you lollygagging behind now, can't I?"

She stared at his face intensely, only to turn away with a huff and float away.

The man followed her like a dog.

* * *

She was dead.

A large portion of the Twili had wondered what would happen to them when they would die. After being banished into the realm of perpetual twilight, there had been a question that most had felt very uncomfortable with. What would happen after their death?

Tradition had long since provided the answer to the masses, and that was that the gates to the Sacred Realm would open for their souls. The land where the holy power was supposed to be enshrined at, a paradise beyond even the description of words that would never be harmed or toyed with…this was what the Sacred Realm was to her people.

When the judgment was rained down upon them, her people had found refuge in their faith. Perverse and twisted as some of them were, Midna could not help but respect the power of hope in such a hopeless tribe such as they were. It brought her own small amount of admiration for her people. Yes, they had royally screwed themselves over by defying the goddesses, but time had changed them. They had learned from their mistakes, and they had grown.

The uncomfortable questions were never really answered by anyone. Many theories popped up, some gaining credibility while others were dismissed as ridiculous. Regardless, Logic stood no chance against the ebbing tide of Hope, and eventually fear and panic were replaced by heart and strength.

That was what the history books said. Midna had no doubt that the chain of events probably was something like that, but with more bloodshed and chaos than the books let on. Very few books felt inclined to include the gory stuff, she noticed, and so she took some things with a grain of salt when their sources were from such devious items.

Now though, she was living history. Or was it dying history? She did not know nor did she care.

All around her was color. Violets, indigoes, vermilions, sunshine, life, love, tears, wills….all flowed together and somehow worked in unison. A constantly moving vortex of absolute unity twisted and turned and a heavenly wind blew across her face as she indulged in the sensation. Warm whispers of comfort and sleep seeped through her skin and Midna was temporarily paralyzed by the wondrous sensation the gripped her.

"Oh, Link-" Midna began contentedly, until she remembered the sequence of events up to then.

The Twilight Princess looked around once more, and she realized with a certainty that shocked even her, that this was the Sacred Realm.

At that point, Midna was very much on guard.

"You always were an untrusting fellow, Princess," sang a voice more perfect than any musical orchestra, "and cynical as well. Relax, you are safe now. The shadow of existence had not claimed just yet."

Midna turned, and she suddenly noticed that she no longer had short stubby legs or a small child's body. She looked down in wonder at her body, running her hands up from her legs to her head, a faint whisper escaping her mouth as she touched a body she had almost forgotten existed.

"You like this? Hrm?" rang out another voice, and it fell on Midna's ears as sweeter than honey. "With good reason too. Your vanity was not without due cause…by your standards of course."

"Don't get enamored with her so quickly my sister. Her path is not ours to read any longer," called out another, just as perfect as harmonious as the other two. "So let us commune and begin with the trade."

"Trade?" Midna called out, ignoring the scenery around her and concentrating on the voices. It was hard, but she managed to do so, "What if I don't want to trade anything?"

"You will, dear Princess. A beggar rarely has a choice when it comes to food now, isn't that right?" This time there was a warning note, steel under wiring that lined the voice with thorns.

Midna bristled at being called a beggar but she relented. She had a rough guess as to whom she was talking to, and if she was right, than as much as the Twilight Princess did not want to admit it, they had every reason to call her a vagrant.

Slowly, Midna saw the three forms appear from the background. A strange line of something golden began weaving itself, and eventually Midna made out a foot, followed by legs, and so on and so forth. As the head wove, brilliant green eyes opened, and hair the color of nature emerged from the scalp of the woman.

"Oh Farore…" said the awed Twili. The goddess smiled charmingly at the phrase, and picked an iris out of her striking green tresses. Midna stared at it, feeling small and like a child as she picked it out of the goddesses offering hand.

Midna looked to Farore's side, and she went weak in the knees a she spotted the rest of the famous trio. All equally stunning, all equally beautiful, and all possessing powers so mighty even Ganondorf would bow down to them.

"You have been suffering as of late," stated one of the three, Din, judging by the explosions, frozen in time, which made up her eyes.

"From a power that you should not have right to," said Nayru, her eyes serene and eternal.

Farore nodded with an unreadable expression on her face.

"Power?" Midna asked, "Do you mean the Fused Shadows? Listen, I only used them because there was no-"

Din held up a hand, and Midna shut up faster than the Magic Armor sucked Rupees. "We are not referring to your clan's magicks. Do not attempt to lie to yourself or us. We have no need to do the same for you after all."

Scolded by a goddess. Link would never let her live it down if he found out.

"The Hero is part of it, but not entirely," said Farore, interrupting her sister in a strangely peaceful tone, "We are referring to the remnant of Wisdom still inside you."

Midna looked away from the deities.

She had thought about it, sure, but never had she dared to believe it. The Triforce of Wisdom belonged to Zelda, and since Zelda had literally handed Midna her body and soul for the shadow princess to live on in. It only made sense that Wisdom would follow its vessel, even if that did mean another container. The idea though, was so far-fetched that Midna could not bring herself to believe that the golden goddesses of the Light would allow a princess of Twilight to possess such a thing.

Wisdom was said to have the ability to decipher lies and reveal truth. It was even reputed, according to the book she had read so long ago, to allow its bearer the ability to divine the future albeit in short periods. It would have explained everything about Midna's visions had it not been for the fact that thousands of those visions never happened.

"The wind does not blow in one direction only, child," trilled Nayru as she took a step forward. Then she smiled. "Why the shock? Your heart is ours to hear, and yours to speak. Words are unnecessary among us."

Midna took a step back, uncomfortable with the way the conversation was going.

"My avatar was skilled in its usage, but she did not account for what would happen when she turned herself over into you. She was a creature of Light, and you of Twilight. However, not by any instruction on our part, you were her opposite, or at least the Triforce perceived it as such.

"Time does not matter to Wisdom, which is all seeing and scopes out eternity. It did not portray the future to you, Midna, because the past was all it sought whilst locked within you."

The past…that explained all those memories that never were. Her head still ached as she thought of them, words and images that came from a stranger's life, not hers.

"But that means that all I remember really happened." Midna thought aloud as she pieced the clues together, "and that's not really possible. Is it?"

Din took over the conversation now. She radiated heat and warmth, but her voice gave away none of this. "Wisdom sees through all deceit…even ours."

A bad feeling was coming over Midna. From what the goddess said, it was as if they had somehow tricked everyone in Hyrule somehow, something that certainly was not beyond the scope of their ability. In fact, it would probably have been child's play for them.

All those horrors, all those things that Midna had been sure never happened, had. Link had died hundreds of times, either from something as simple as choking on a piece of fish bone, to getting mutilated and violently destroyed by hordes of Bulbins eager to appease their leader. Monstrosity after monstrosity had killed Link, but somehow he had survived enough to the point of facing Ganondorf.

Midna did not have to ask before she got the answer in the form of a miracle.

Farore, who had been twiddling her hair much like an anxious mortal woman, picked a black rose from behind her ear, and held it by its stem, away from its thorns. Almost immediately the rose wilted, its petals falling off, and the rest of it shriveling worse than a dried prune. Then, once it was definitively dead and the damage seemed irreparable, it began to re-bloom. The stem thickened and hardened as moisture clogged it, and a small bud emerged from the decayed stem of the previous flower. White petals unfurled and glistened in the light of the Sacred Realm.

"No," Midna said as she saw the miracle, "You- you _witch_!"

The goddesses did not seem surprised by this reaction; instead, they looked as if they were expecting it. Midna suddenly did not care if it would damn her to an eternity of hell, but goddess or not, what they had done crossed the line.

"Is he just some toy to you?" she hissed, her magic flaring up in response to her anger, "Do you think you can just bring him back just like that, if he did something wrong? What kind of sick twisted world are you running anyways!?"

"The Hero had to remove Ganondorf from the man's position of power," reasoned Din, her heavenly face frowning as she looked at Midna, "He retained any and all experience after each subsequent reset."

"Reset? _RESET?" _Midna roared, wanting nothing more than to slap the woman in front of her. "He _died._ He died thousands of times, and you don't care at all! 'Oops, he's gone and fallen into lava. Reset!' 'Too bad that dragon burned him to ashes. Reset!' If I weren't so sure you'd blast me to kingdom come, I'd hurt you."

The three goddesses stared silently at Midna. None of them seemed have been all that shaken up by her explosive anger. Farore even tried to offer her another flower.

Midna stared into those green pools of life, and she hated everything in them. Nothing so pure and wondrous should have been able to do what they had done. With a sneer of disgust, Midna slapped the flower out of the goddess' hand.

The red-haired princess did not know what she was expecting as a response, but a kiss on the cheek and dirty thoughts sure were not it.

Backing away, Midna tried to calm down as she kept eyeing the goddesses.

"We already know you plan on sealing the door to Twilight," continued Nayru, as if the sudden altercation had never taken place to begin with, "but we must ask that you return what little of Wisdom you have left to either I, or my chosen vessel. If you choose not to, you risk the entire future of Hyrule."

'_They don't even use their names,' _Midna thought as she thought over those words, _'And…they seem awfully interested in Hyrule, even though it's only part of the Light Realm.'_

The deities made no motion to indicate they knew of Midna's thoughts, but the twili knew they were aware of how she thought. This only frustrated her even more.

"What do I get out of it?" she challenged, "I could learn to use the Triforce and help my realm, maybe enough so that we wouldn't have anymore psychos like Zant who lust after the light realm their entire lives."

It was a cheap shot, but they had obviously been playing dirty since a long time ago.

Din nodded appreciatively and slowly, as if talking with a child. "You could, and we would not be able to do anything about it. Nayru's vessel has made you an entirely new class of creature with your partial Triforce and cursed magicks. You are, now, the only being to be even partially resistant to us.

"But would you go through with your resolve?"

It was a rhetorical question, and one that did not even need to have been vocalized. Midna was well aware of the implications of weakened Triforce pieces. Link had barely survived up to that point with one whole one, and Zelda likely would not have been nearly as useful an ally without Wisdom to guide her.

Could she damn future generations of men and women, Gorons and Zora, to a future of oppression at Ganondorf's or whatever else's hands? There was no chance that evil would not arise once more, and Hyrule had need of its Hero and its Princess when such times came; and a weakened princess was an almost useless one.

Midna hung her head. "Fine," she spat out bitterly, knowing but hating it was the best thing to do, "I accept that offer but on the condition you never play games with the lives of the Hero ever again."

"Impossible."

An immediate reply, and from none other than Farore too.

"Why?" demanded the frustrated princess.

"How else would they grow? Natural training?" asked the green-haired goddess as she fiddled with her bare toes. "You saw how skilled Link was before his quest. He was barely able to fight off Bokoblins, and that was with years of training under his belt."

The goddess stopped with her toes and began playing the air, her fingers falling into a strange soundless rhythm. "It was, in the long term, best for everyone."

"That doesn't excuse what you've done to him." Midna retorted scathingly.

Farore looked up. "We're goddesses, we don't need excuses," she stated, in a voice so final that Midna could feel it closing doors. "If we wanted, we could have let you die as well. Though you may at least be able to resist us, once the black cowl has claimed you, you belong to us.

"You are under the impression you can boast and haggle your way through this deal," she said, her face tragically twisted by the sorrow in her voice, "Please, do not confront us anymore on this matter. We would be saddened if things stayed as they were."

"You have toyed with the lives of so many good people," Midna's answered, "Heroes and Princesses alike. Honestly, I wouldn't be surprised if this was just some test you're putting me through. Before I decide though, you said there was something else. Something involving Link, right?"

The golden goddesses smiled, and nothing would have satisfied Midna more than to wipe such things off their faces. "You have matured, more than we thought. Your ordeals have been good to you, and we are bearing witness to your greatness right now."

"Be quiet," Midna hissed, biting down to keep from saying anything much worse, "I don't need your sycophantic praises poisoning my mind. I know I've changed, the same way my people grew and prospered, even after you abandoned them to life in perpetual twilight. We've done well without you, and you know it."

They still wore their euphoria inducing smiles. What would Midna give to slap even one of them, to prove that they were not infallible?

"The amazing progress of your people is duly noted, Twilight Princess," began Nayru, "and we would like to express our regret in having banished them long ago. This is the compensation we are offering for you, in exchange for Wisdom and the Hero: the chance to return to the realm of Light."

Whatever sarcasm Midna had prepared for the blue-haired goddess died on her lips as she processed those last few words. A chance to return to the Light realm….that was more than her ancestors had dared to ever dream of after centuries of banishment. It was more than just a change of home, it was, essentially redemption. It was once more adjoining themselves with the goddesses of creation, foregoing their bloody past and the first step to a greater future.

As a ruler, could she ever say no to such a thing?

"You said that you want the Hero," Midna started slowly, contemplating the ramifications of her choices if she were to acquiesce or deny the offer. "What exactly do you mean? He's one of yours, and you know it."

Din quirked an eyebrow, and her smooth sensuous lips pulled back into a smirk, "Indeed, yet the Sacred Beast within him recognizes none of us as his mistress. It would seem that you bind him to yourself more so tightly that even he defies us."

Midna's stomach did a flip.

Could it be true? If so, then if she returned Link to the trio before her, he would be subject to a life of service as their marionette, but one that would last for an indefinite amount of time so long as they wished it? On the other hand, if she stood tall with a firm grasp on his leash, it was likely that his next death would be the last.

She sat down, and cradled her head in her arms as she thought of it all. There was too much to consider and all the choices seemed wrong.

These were Farore, Nayru, and Din, the three that created all of the Light Realm and that left the power of the Triforce behind. They were eulogized and lionized in all sorts of works and traditions. People would give their lives in their names, and many would strike at any one that spoke ill of them. How would these people live with themselves if they ever learned of their nature?

And her wolf, how did he fit in to their scheme? Was he just some creature they made, specifically to foil a lunatic's strike at unilateral tyranny. Was the entire Hero pantheon before him like that?

Finally, after much deliberation, Midna made her decision and stood up.

"Just who do you think I am?" she said quietly, fury etched into her expression like a stone's grooves.

**End Chapter 2**

Author Notes: Sadly, though this chapter is up already, that is because it was already done. Those who read that insanely long oneshot of mine before know that this is the second half of that, so that means that no, my updates will not be daily. I will try to make it weekly, but there is a chance it won't even be that.

Despite that, I do hope you enjoyed this chapter. The scene with the goddesses is actually the first scene that popped into my head as the idea for this fic came, and I knew then I just had to get it down somehow. Midna v. the goddesses? It's basically tug of war on a cosmic scale.

Next chapter will finally feature Zelda, and a deviation from video game canon. I hope you enjoyed reading this chapter, feel free to leave a review and whatnot.

And so forthwith, until next chapter.


	3. Chapter 3: The Shepherd

**Disclaimer: The Legend of Zelda is not mine. Not particularly sad, since I don't have to worry too much about taking care of it. **

**Chapter 3: The Shepherd  
**

Her caretaker had always told Midna not to make deals with devils. Idly, the princess wondered what that meant for goddesses.

Midna's decision did not mirror her thoughts. The crimson-haired twili knew that this was tantamount to a declaration of war on the goddesses. Something very few had ever even thought about and even fewer attempted. She dared not imagine the amount of survivors from such encounters.

"Who do you think I am?" She said, scowling and vicious.

Something akin to triumph flashed through Din's eyes as she heard that. "You are the Twilight Princess, ruler of a fallen people, and you are being offered a chance to rise once more."

Midna's lips curved cynically at the response. "You insult me and my kin with your prim little tweets, goddess. We have risen without your aid, and we will continue to do so!"

"And what of your connection to the Hero then?" Pressed Nayru, "Or even to my avatar? Do you truly think that such a bond forged through magicks and blood will be so easily severed with just a broken mirror?"

It would figure they would know about that too. Even the fates seemed to bend over for these three.

Midna paused, and she almost reconsidered the offer. She ignored that, because if there was one thing she possessed it was pride. Nothing was going to stop her now.

Nayru too seemed to have understood this, because she soon closed her eyes and bowed her head, a small bittersweet smile gracing her features.

Glaring at the three, Midna forced herself to restrain herself. Misguided or not, these were the three beings that created the world. Even in all Link's attempts to assist Hyrule in its hour of need, the three of them had no need to do so. They could just as easily have left the country to its terror, and let Ganondorf rule until he too was usurped eventually.

"You must realize that we do not exclusively toy with the Hero's fate." Said Farore, approaching ever closer, "We are very well aware of how unseemly you now regard me and my sisters, but at the same time you recognize the necessity of what was done."

"No, I don't." Midna snapped back. _Liar, _whispered her mind. "Why would you let this happen in the first place? Men far above in valor and worth are gone because of this! Hyrule is left with cowards and mongrels to defend its walls, and my wolf is not its rope to tie it all together again."

"Only he with whom I dine has a right to that answer."

The redhead took a deep breath. Shadows help her, this goddess was cheekier than she was!

"And yet you string him along like a marionette." Midna answered, the incensed exhaustion dwindling from her voice.

Farore giggled good-naturedly, and Midna was sure someone just met the love of his or her life. "Me? I admit the Hero is a fascinating creature, each one different from all the others in their own little ways, but do you not think I would tire of their antics? No, it is never a good thing to preserve purity next to perfection."

At this point the goddess' dark green tresses formed a spinning wool, and Midna stared at it curiously despite herself. The threads moved of their own accord, twisting and weaving, each strand sentient in its own way, and somehow an exact replica of the Hero's tunic extricated itself from it. Granted, this one bore no mark of adventure, no dried blood on its collar, no sweat permeating the fabric. It made Link's garb seem unholy, a desecrate farce that held no significance.

The tunic was laid out on the golden ground beneath them. It contrasted sharply with the precious land, somehow yearning for the land with a strange pulse.

Midna frowned, but kept quiet.

The pulsing continued. A susurrant wind began to blow from nowhere as the pseudo heartbeat began to increase in pace.

"O princess of shadows," called Din, drawing Midna's attention, "Your people have bled and yearned for salvation for many seasons, do not deny them their reward just so you may satiate your pride."

The Twilight Princess was very tempted to show her just how 'proud' she could be, but even she knew where to draw the line. "Proud though I may be my people are even more so." She replied, smirking as she stared the goddess in the eye "They would not stomach an ill-worn cloak from their own brother, let alone you three."

"Pray that not be the case, child." Nayru interjected. "There is nothing more tragic than a flower that does not bloom."

"And there's nothing more pointless than a sword that does not slay." Midna retorted, "You have something in mind for Link, for Zelda, and for all of Hyrule, that I can tell; and after what you pulled I'm not going to stand back."

A resounding silence followed that. The goddesses likely knew of how much she was bluffing and how much she was not, but Midna was glad they did not call her on it. It was true that her people were a mighty tribe that had risen from the ashes of their ancestors, but it would be ludicrous to assume that every one of them would turn their backs on this once in a millennia chance.

In fact, after Zant, Midna would not be opposed to holding important meetings in public, if only to get a better measure for what her people wanted.

"Such a course of action would be prudent, young princess." Advised Farore, who, Midna saw, now adorned the forest green tunic so characteristic of her wolf. "But the counsel of the majority need not always be the path you tread."

Farore laughed and leaped over Midna, twisting and drawing out a sword that had not been there moments before. She landed in a crouching position, her sword held out defensively, and powerful verdant eyes sparkling with mischief and love.

"Is _this_ what fascinates you so?" She murmured to the silent trio of women. "The thrill of adventure, the rush of ruby through your veins?"

The twilight princess scoffed, but even that held no fire anymore. The figure in green looked exactly like her wolf.

"Or perhaps you admire that which was taken before your coming."

Midna gritted her teeth, praying to shadows above for the patience to deal with Farore. The now frightening resemblance between her and Link did not help one bit. It was frustrating her already worn out nerves to nothing but frayed out circuits.

"Regardless of your fantasies," Farore continued, her wonderful expression melting away to one of pure granite, "you still adamantly deny our offer. Answer me once more, Midna, do you still wish to confront us?"

The young woman knew that she should stop and actually begin to reconsider her choice. Sanity demanded it, and nothing but an absolute review of everything would satisfy her monarchial mind anymore. Surely, her peace of mind could wait for the betterment of everyone?

"You've put him through hell, Farore." She said haughtily, "The least I can do is set him free of those chains of his."

Farore advanced fluidly, her strides melding into a strange waltz that the other two began to perform. All three began circling Midna, not too close to seem threatening , but not too far away too seem entirely innocent either. The flash of metal caught the princess' gaze once or twice, but she dared not let it distract her so. The likes of them did not need blades cut one down.

Supposed resistance to their power be damned. There was no way she was going to take any chances with the ones responsible for all those memories.

"You're heart is set, but slated for pain." Warned Nayru as she twirled a lock of hair in her fingers.

"Life's no fun without it anyways."

"You're eyes are ablaze, but tears shall be shed." Din said, leaning forward with a menacing expression.

"I'm a big girl, don't worry."

"Your people shall suffer and your will shall shatter."

Midna refrained from looking in Farore's direction, but responded all the same. "My people are mine to govern, not anyone else's."

None of them said anything further. Then as if, waking from sleep, Midna began to sway to the direction of a sudden wind. A weak feeling began to rise from her extremities, and soon enough she had fallen on to the ground, a soft feeling enveloping her whole body. She struggled to stay awake, but there was no resisting the overwhelming desire to close her eyes and sleep.

"Then so be it."

Midna knew that moment that no matter what came her way, she would never regret her choice. Her response would be the same then as it was now. She smirked saucily as the oblivion of sleep overtook her.

Slowly, at a snail's pace, she sunk into the background beyond, breaking through the realms in her sleep. When she would awake, she would be atop Hyrule field, near the Hero and the Princess of Destiny. The battle would have been fought and won and their little war, over.

* * *

She awoke with a sudden gasp.

Life shot gunned through her body as the world of mortals welcomed her once more.

There was no chance to marvel at the beauty of it all. All thought left her as she realized just how needy her body felt. She inhaled and exhaled greedily, relishing the feeling of actually breathing once again. It filled her chest, and she nearly cried from joy as she felt the grass beneath her fingers.

Euphoria enveloped her as seconds passed. Some part of her was aware in a far-off sort of way of how this was her last chance, and of how there really was no going back now. Hugging herself, Midna bit her lip, in anger and in gratitude. She truly was facing the creator deities of Hyrule now. Just what was she thinking, she asked herself.

'_You owe me, mutt,' _Midna thought, taking comfort in the thought in a strange way. Memories of the meeting returned to her vindictively.

She felt slightly queasy as she drew the parallelism between her wolf and Farore with her sword. Surely, the goddess' could not be that heavy in their handling of Link.

"Stop." She told herself. "_Stop it_. You're playing into their hands."

She suddenly registered the fabulous light surrounding her. Even now, months after their revival and their last encounter face to face, Midna recognized the holy light of the Light Spirits of Hyrule. Resisting the urge to lash out at them (and given her last experience with Lanayru, she almost did), the Twilight Princess somehow gathered her strength, just enough to stand up.

There was no way she was giving them the satisfaction of her bowing. That would practically be treasonous to her recent declaration against the goddesses.

The Light Spirits did not seem incensed with her behavior. In fact, if Midna really was not suffering from hallucinations brought on by exhaustion, then she could have sworn that their shine was not so much to threaten as it was to comfort.

The redhead banished the thought from her mind. Two minutes into her challenge and she was already doubting herself.

She felt more than heard the footsteps approaching. Even now, separated from his shadow and by all means an independent creature mightier than even Zant, even now she could distinguish those light footfalls of her wolf with ease.

His heavy breathing was the first thing she heard. It came labored and strained, as if it hurt him to breathe. The rustle of chainmail came next, and it clinked and clattered noisily, so unlike before when stealth was always of the utmost importance. There was a wanting sound to each breath, a pleading prayer in each exhale.

The Spirits surrounding her faded, each of them with a cryptic look in their nova eyes. The Twilight Princess made a mental note to look into their history, if only to satisfy that nagging voice in the back of her head that kept asking so many questions.

For now though, she had other things to do.

She turned around.

It felt comforting to see him, all bloodied and worn the way he was. _'Huh, go figure. I really am taller than him.' _She idly thought, drinking in the sight of his relatively safe form.

The young man in front of her looked beaten, bruised, slashed, bashed, tired, and so very much like her wolf. There was no denying that this was he, the one who severed heads and tore through enemies with naught but fang and blade. The same one whose entire existence only was because of how the heavens wished it.

His left eye seemed to be swelling up, red trickled down a nasty-looking cut on his cheek, his cap forgotten and his dirty blond hair made only dirtier by the blood and dirt. His ears remained at alert as ever on his head, and Midna quashed the urge to comment upon them. The man had most likely been put through the divine wringer just recently.

As if on cue, fresh memories began replaying themselves. The world of sketching and amateur drawings no longer came. Once more, it was like watching a flash of paintings before her eyes, each one minutely different from the one before. Almost immediately, Midna forced herself to stand up straight, to look as if nothing was happening.

They bombarded her mind without pity. Were it not for her own self-control, Midna would have fallen already.

"What," she said as she looked at Link, "am I so beautiful that you have no words left?"

She saw Ganondorf ram his sword through Link's chest, carelessly striking the Master Sword away.

The twili swallowed but said nothing. She could not betray her turmoil now. Not after Link's hard earned victory over the madman. He had done enough already.

She saw the Gerudo give a vicious kick, snapping the Hero's neck, his head twisting like a top as it fell to the ground.

Link, still alive and breathing, approached the twili, a disbelieving look in his eyes. She did not fault him for such. He most likely thought she had died. _She_ thought she had died. Compared to the bliss and the wonder of the Sacred Realm, being alive never seemed more surreal than before. It was like falling asleep once more.

The green-clad man stopped in front of her. His lips parted as if to say something, but no speech came out, only a barely audible happy whine. That alone said more than any word ever could.

"We are well met, today, Midna." Came the voice Zelda, walking up the hill the two were, "For if not for your assistance, I daresay we would not have survived Power's might in that castle."

Zelda fell off Epona. The skeletal cavalry silenced her screams as they passed over.

"You flatter me Zelda." Midna replied, baring her teeth in a dangerous smile, "Please. Continue."

The Princess of Destiny looked amused by her attitude but Midna was not sure. The young woman was impossible to get an accurate grip on when it came to emotions. Little could penetrate that royal façade of hers, so unlike herself, who toyed with emotions as a child does with a gift.

"My gratitude extends farther than the northern mountains." She continued, "This gift of life that you have helped breathe into my land once more is greater than any treasure I can offer.

And here the ruler turned to Link, "And the depths of my debt for you run deeper than the great ocean."

Zelda's aim was thrown off course in a sudden sharp turn. The Light arrow pierced Link's left shoulder, blasting a bloody hole through his tunic.

Midna sucked in her breath at the sight. To have blasted through the Hero's tunic, just what kind of power was in those arrows?

Regardless, she had to maintain her control, otherwise the other two would suspect something. Perhaps it was just her but Zelda seemed a tad too humble before the two of them. Granted she herself was the Twilight Princess, and Link was the Hero Chosen by the gods, but no respectable ruler ever flattered another without a proper reason. Zelda most likely knew that only a few words would satisfy them both, but this elaborate discourse was ringing warning bells inside Midna's head.

The blond princess bowed her head.

Those bells turned to alarms in Midna's mind. "Lift your head, Princess. Bow to this whelp if he wishes, but the best thing you can do for me right now is conjure up a blanket. I'm cold."

Cut. Slash. Bish. Bash. There went his hand, Triforce shining dimly on the crimson dyed skin. Link's scream was inhumane.

Zelda looked up, her beautiful face impassive and cold. The corners of her lips quirked ever so subtly. "I'm afraid that's beyond my ability. The Triforce is generous in its gifts, but not overly so."

Link seemed to be at a loss for what was going on between the two of them. Danger and disaster were his areas of expertise, not nobility and their faux pas. He looked between the two with a questioning look on his face, but did nothing. It was more because he had no energy left to do anything, than out of the male principle to just keep his nose out of female business.

"Listen. Can….can we just _rest _for one second?" Midna asked, her voice betraying her weakness. "Link's just skewered some age-old madman, you've just awoken from months of who knows what, and I-"

She paused for both dramatic effect and to reign in her breath. "-I think I'm living a second life right here okay?" _'Or maybe my thousandth,' _She added to herself.

Hyrule's ruler gave Midna a shrewd look. The redhead had an odd sense that she had just passed a test. Though how and what it was in the first place, she had no idea.

Suddenly, a small smile graced the princess' lips. "Forgive me. Court habits are difficult things to break out of."

The redhead sighed. "Yes, yes, whatever. Just don't act all humble and pious again anytime soon please. I'm not feeling up to playing healer anytime soon."

"Is that so?"

Midna sat down on the ground. Link collapsed soon beside her.

The Twilight Princess' nose crinkled as she thought of the idea. "You light dwellers." She said exasperatedly, "Always so needy of each other."

"It is where we draw our strength in harsh times."

The blue woman looked away, an uncomfortable look on her face. She had just seen Ganondorf's magic burn the woman to ash.

* * *

The look and feel of Castle Town was entirely different from their previous visits. For one thing, Midna had had enough of staying in Link's shadow, regardless of how comfortable it was. Nothing less than the ability to walk on solid ground once more without feeling her hips move like tectonic plates would satisfy her.

That and Zelda requested that she join the other ruler in calming the now chaotic town down to something resembling a working unit once more.

Midna laughed as she felt the bolts of shadow magic burst from her fingers, exploding towards the sky and shattering into miniature explosions that likes of which that realm had likely never seen before. Her job was to grab their attention, to wrap all their focus onto one single point. However, it felt good to be back at her full power again, and she let everyone around her know with her magical lightshow.

There was fear and smoke all around the town square. The fountain was murky with ash and gravel, and almost the entire left side of the statue was blown away by some unknown means. It was a surprise that the thing was even erect after the castle fell to its ruin.

People would yell in anger, in pain as strangers pushed through crowds, and left with much more baggage than before. Malo Mart's door was ajar, but the customary joy and music that meant such a thing was nowhere. Midna managed to glance inside for a second before the fireworks demanded her attention once more. The shoe-shining boy was looting a piece of magic armor.

"Damnation and hellfire!" Midna screamed over the din, "One castle falls and the whole city goes berserk! Princess, don't you have some kind of plan for these kinds of things?"

The blue woman did not expect an answer. The feeling of glee at finally being able to use her powers again had worn off as soon as the situation got ever more tiresome. Nobody was even looking in their direction anymore. All around them, they could see smoke and ugliness growing as the people of Castle Town fell to pieces.

There was a somber feeling to it all. It was as if all sound was muffled and absorbed by the smoke surrounding them, and considering how twisted Zant had been, Midna would not have put it past his master to do such a thing. To create chaos and destruction with every action of his. If she were not repulsed at the mere thought of it, she would actually respect such a maneuver.

She could do little but add to the lightshow around them. Link was useless in his dazed state, and Zelda had not done much except provide suggestions.

"We need to grab their attention." Said the blond princess, "We need something that will vanish the fear and the destruction for only a second. Do you know any blessed magic, Midna?"

Midna resisted the urge to roll her eyes. "Do you really I'd learn _that_?"

"Point taken." Zelda looked to the crowd. The three of them were standing in front of the pond, and all around them people passed them by without sparing her a glance. What a difference it must be for her, Midna realized, to be out and among her people in their time of need, and not have even one recognize her.

"I shall need your shoulder after this." Zelda proclaimed as she clasped her hands. "I fear I may not withstand the strain."

Midna glanced at the light surrounding the other princess' hands. "Fine, but I intend to collect after we're done here. With interest!"

However, she was not sure the other one had even heard her last remark.

What followed was recorded in the history books as both beautiful and terrifying on a scale unknown to even the most divine of earthly creatures. Eyewitness reports told of a single woman standing before the frenzied crowd, the princess even, laying down and praying. Others said that a new deity had decided to aid Hyrule in its time of need, and the spectacular light that emitted from that lone figure was the radiance of the land accepting its new master.

Whatever it was, Midna was not sure she liked it. Because as the divine light that rushed forth from Zelda began to dwindle, the red-haired princess felt a shiver pass through her as the presence of three infinitely more powerful beings than she passed her by, their serene laughter tempting her wrath in a way she was ashamed to admit.

Zelda lay there, kneeling. Her eyes were closed and her head arched back as she stared at the clouds above. Her hands grasped each other in prayer, and her mouth was open and mumbling something. Her beauty only seemed to be accentuated by her frailty that moment, and almost instantly all leftover hustle died down as the image of their ruler was burned into their minds forever.

'_Classy.' _Was all Midna thought as she appreciated the sight. She knew it was only a matter of seconds before people began asking what she and Link were doing so close to Zelda. She found she did not care if they did start asking questions.

Zelda opened her eyes, and from this angle, Midna thought they looked a little moist.

The regal beauty stood up, and without a word, all those surrounding her stepped back. Fear and awe were displayed on their faces. Elsewhere, the very faint sound of chaos still reigned but it seemed that it too was quieting down.

"My people, I know that many of you have not heard from I in the past year." Began Zelda, her soft voice echoing throughout the square as if by magical projection. "You have braved times of terror and darkness without the counsel and caring of the Royal Court.

"Shadows have struck at you suddenly in the many moons since my disappearance. Word of monster haunted all your lips. Little could be done to prevent your mounting miseries. My castle loomed over you, providing not with protection, but only more doubts.

You had begun to doubt your blood, to strike at your beloveds with unmitigated rage. Please!"

Here Zelda's voice trembled. Midna remembered that Zelda had asked her for her shoulder. It seemed that that magic from before did not come cheap.

Briefly checking to see if Link was okay (the man had been in a strange state since they entered Castle Town), Midna swiftly joined Zelda at her side, and began supporting her weight. There were some sudden murmurs at her appearance, but no one dared to interrupt the princess' speech.

"Please! Do not falter! We are Hyrule! What doth thou think of thine actions? At the first omen, you cower and scream? NO!"

Zelda seemed to really be on the verge of passing out. No one seemed to notice but to Midna, who was up close and practically face to face with the woman, there was no denying the retributive toll all the events were taking on her. Nevertheless, that was as far as the young twili could make of Zelda's condition. Her expression remained a mystery.

"Thunder and doom come marching at our doors, do we plead and loot to our hearts content?"

To this, no one had an answer. It was clear the speech was having an effect on them.

Midna winced as a sudden memory came to her. It was of Zelda's request so long ago, except this one was much more straightforward than the one that really happened.

"_Be gone daughter of dusk! I desire none of your schemes! Let my people live in peace!"_

No, that hadn't happened. _'It didn't happen,' _Midna told herself. _'It never happened!'_

How long would she have to endure those memories from oblivion? As long as she remained in the Light Realm? As long as she and Zelda were still sewn together by their bond through the Triforce? Or as long as she kept up the fight?

"-ell me, my people, do we give in so easily to these menaces?" Zelda continued, oblivious to her partner's state.

"No." Cried out a small voice.

The crowd parted as if by magic. A procession seemed to have formed behind the source of the voice, ready to shove him to the front if need be, if only to escape the shameful and disappointed gaze of their ruler.

It was the shoe-shiner, Midna saw. It was that kid who lost all his business when Malo allowed anyone of all races and ages to enter his newly founded Malo mart. He still held a piece of magic armor in his hand. He gripped it tightly, clutching it as if a stuffed animal that he only recently received. His whole body shook as Zelda held his gaze.

"Say that again, young one?" Zelda asked, her voice no longer impassioned, but carefully neutral.

The boy looked like he was going to puke. "I-I said 'No', your majesty."

"Again, please."

Midna wanted to say something but she held her tongue. Zelda was being unnecessarily cruel to the young boy, even if he was holding something that he clearly was in no position to buy.

"No?" Squeaked the lad, holding the armor up to his face as if to protect him from her stare. "I-I said 'No'?"

Zelda took a step in his direction. "Exactly, and yet you sound as if you don't believe it yourself.

She took another step, breaking free from Midna's support. "Why do you deny our proud country's spirit?"

Something in that phrasing seemed to lend him courage. It almost seemed like Zelda was taunting him, like a malicious schoolteacher. "C-cuz o' the fact' choo never di' anyting!"

Silence followed.

"…Pardon?"

"Choo ne'er di' anyting! Wha' were choo doin' tha' choo c-can't even look ou' the darn' window?"

Midna bit back a laugh. Looking out of a "darn' window" was all Zelda _had _been doing for the first few months of their quest. Shadow knows what else she could have done locked up in that tower. Pray? That previous stunt of hers was indeed impressive but Midna knew enough about Zelda to know that resorting to the heavens was not something she did often, or gladly even.

By this point Zelda was walking down the partitioned path in the crowd. Her steps came rhythmically, betraying none of the exhaustion that Midna knew she was feeling. She looked grave, even from her back, and Midna both pitied and respected the boy for not sprinting out of there.

She was not worried though. Zelda, however much blue blood ran through her veins, was in touch enough with reality to know what her people needed.

"That fact is unremittable, child." Zelda said as she stopped in front of him. From the sight of him, it looked like he was trying to figure out what unremittable meant in his head. "But I ask you that you find it in your heart forgive a foolish woman her mistakes."

Then she hugged him. Even from this distance, Midna could tell that the eyes nearly bulging form his head was not due to his strength of the hug. The poor lad probably thought he would never be hugged by such a beautiful woman ever, let alone princess Zelda.

Seeing as how the boy was going to spend a great many long nights thinking about that, Midna decided to return to her wolf's side. It seemed that Zelda really did have everything under control now. Besides, no one was going to pay attention to a blue woman and a battle-ready green man, not after that debacle.

"What do you think mutt?" Midna asked as she sat down beside Link. "Do you think she can handle everything for now?"

Link nodded dumbly. A content grin spread across his face as he looked at the adoring people surrounding Zelda.

"That doesn't mean you're just going to leave am I right?" she asked, a blank expression across her face.

Link shook his head and looked down. It looked like he was trying to convey something important to her, but just could not find the right way to express it. Words, Midna knew, were not among his special skills. The man undoubtedly knew how to talk, but he spoke so little it was a wonder to any that never heard his voice. She would be surprised if he even knew how to read.

Finally, after what seemed like much deliberating, he just . A long wolf-like laugh that startled and scared passersby away as fast as they heard it.

This was different from before in the castle. He had been at his wit's end at that point. It just seemed to the both of them so incredibly hopeless and dangerous that he had vented out as much of his laughter as he could, as much as he would ever laugh in his entire life, all in one go. That way, at least, if he really had died then at least he could say that he had not laughed enough in his lifetime.

Now, though, he did not know why. There was serenity, happiness, life, and an entire rainbow of emotions in him but he had no clue how to let them out any other way. He wanted to cry and moan, to just curl up and never look at the sun again. Too much had happened; too much had been thrust upon his shoulders.

Midna stared as her wolf descended into seeming madness with his laughter. She wanted to join in, but every time she looked at him, she found her eyes being drawn to his left hand, or his green clothing. Even the Master Sword was grabbing her attention more than the likely maniac possessing it.

They stayed like that, the man gaily roaring and shaking, and the woman, curious of her partner's mind but too wary to advance any further.

"_Be gone daughter of dusk! I desire none of your schemes! Let my people live in peace!"_

* * *

They trudged through the night and a little bit of the morning helping each other get the more immediate things done.

Messengers to all the provinces and all the villages and towns were sent. A squad of Zora's departed upriver at around midnight to inform all the Zora tribes and families in the domain of Hyrule's condition. A caravan heading towards Kakariko for supplies carried the only messenger for the Gorons, who would entrust the message to the local ambassador to deliver to the stone people.

Merely organizing all those letters had been difficult. Zelda herself could not write every single one, and no one in their right mind would trust the written word of people who had just been ready to ransack their neighbor's house for some reason or another just a few hours ago. Link and a few others had been sent out in search of the post office members, who had scattered when a particularly large piece of the castle's wall speared through their headquarters.

Then there had been the matter of finding provisions for those whose homes was no more due to the destroyed castle. This had not been as bad as no one was willing to withhold food or shelter when the country's princess was asking them personally to lend it out for the less fortunate. However, It did not prevent people from stopping what they were doing to take even a few seconds and look at the ruined palace.

All in all, everything seemed to be going as smoothly as could be. This was why Midna was waiting for something to just pop up and ruin everything. Nothing ever went right so easily for too long.

She did not voice this to the other two of course. She imagined they already knew of this, but still kept going, maintaining a false hope that somehow nothing would disturb the relative peace they had. Well. Link most likely. Zelda would not play so blindly. There was only so much one could reasonably expect of everything.

"Soon, they will begin to see that it is not as easy as they hope," Zelda said as she sat down for the first time in hours. "Supplies will be mishandled, tempers will be wrought into weapons….this was only the first step."

Midna let out a happy sigh as she lay back against the wall. "Let them. For now, we sleep."

"You attitude does not befit your station, Midna. Surely you too wonder of what became of your people?"

The twili opened her eyes to look across the room. The two of them were lodging in one of Castle Town's best inns. Zelda had insisted upon letting others lodge in her room, but conveniently, all of the castle guards that had survived the destruction had defied their ruler with an adamant "No". It took all of Zelda's urging to get just two to stay outside her door. Midna on the other hand, had only to reside in Zelda's shadow and wait until she was alone for her to come out.

The other princess had brought up a source of great concern for Midna. Now that she was no longer cursed, and that Zant and Ganondorf were out of the picture, her top priority at the moment should be to tend to her people. The Mirror was still there at Arbiter's Grounds, ready and waiting to send her home.

The only problem was that Midna was not entirely sure she would be able to come back.

"Please don't remind me," Midna lied, feigning annoyance, "I'd rather just forget about everything now and wander the realm of dreams instead."

"But-"

"Princess," Midna spat, "I don't tell you how to rule your people, you don't tell me how to rule mine."

Zelda's glare was frosty. "I am not curious as to the structure of your government, Twilight Princess.

The unspoken _Yet _hung in the air, a sign of much more discussions to come. "I am, however, much more interested in why it is that you do not rush over there this very minute, if only to satisfy your curiosity. I doubt the trip would take you long."

Midna opened her mouth to respond with one of her sarcastic remarks, but soon closed it again. She was quiet as the meaning of Zelda's words sunk in.

She had yet to see her people.

No. That was not right. She already knew that. It was more like-

"I don't think I…want to see them." Midna said mostly to herself. Nonetheless, the other princess heard her words clearly, and this sudden revelation caught even her off guard.

"What?" Zelda blurted out. Were she not so weary from the day's efforts, it was likely she would not have spoken so suddenly without any forethought.

Midna shrugged, feeling all too alone in that room with Zelda. The subject was a tender one, and Zelda was not her real confidante. He just so happened to be in the room next door, snoozing away whatever nightmares clung to his soul. "I guess I'm just not ready to face them again."

"Do not toy with me, Midna." Zelda replied, a strange sickness lacing her tone, "despite how distant you portray yourself to be, you and I are linked in a way like no other."

The twili grimaced as she recalled that particular piece of information. It reminded her of many unpleasant things, ones that would require a good night's sleep for her to consider properly. The goddesses were not enemies to be trifled with, and even one good night's sleep would not help her much, but she would take what she could get.

"I am not sure what you did back then," said Midna as she stared at her the back of her left hand, "but be aware that whatever it was does not suddenly make you privy to every scrap of information from me."

"I never said it does," Came the smooth reply, "but considering the current situation here, I would be much more at ease if I knew of how your realm compares to my own."

"Whatever for?" Midna snapped.

"To see whether we may aid each other in this time of reconstruction."

Midna let out a bark of laughter at the sentence. "Zelda, I may not know well, but I can tell that you're not that upfront about things. Please, cut the chatter before I-"

_Zelda stood there, by the window. It was a forlorn scene, a picture that should not have been painted. The orange glow of twilight came in through the window, warming the room yet sucking all life out of it. _

"_Tell me, Midna," Zelda asked softly, "will this be my kingdom's world from now on? This…dusk?"_

"-idna? Midna?"

The Twilight Princess felt herself slingshot back to the present. "Forget it." She said suddenly, feeling ashamed and angry with herself.

"Please, don't act all humble and pious, I'm not feeling up to playing healer anytime soon." Zelda retorted, her voice with only the slightest mocking lilt to it that no one else would have noticed it.

Midna froze as she had her own words thrown back at her almost verbatim, before she relaxed and let out a bitter chuckle of resignation. "Linked in a way like no other, huh?" she said, letting down all pretense of ignorance in front of the Hylian monarch.

At Zelda's patient nod, Midna continued , "It's not that I do not wish to see how they are, but it's just that I have some unfinished business left in the Light Realm, the kind that can't be taken care of easily." She added at the look on her counterpart's face.

"What manner of business is this then?" queried the princess innocently.

"Not one for the likes of a Light dweller to know," Midna answered quickly. She hoped to leave it at that, but the other princess would have none of it.

"Would this require Link's assistance as well?" She pressed further.

Hesitating, the young twili thought of her wolf from the past few hours. His skills certainly would be an invaluable asset if there were any battles to be waged, but would there be?

She thought of Farore, clad in green, that beautiful figure promising catastrophes beyond mortal comprehension if Midna were to defy them. She felt her stomach flip at the thought of facing down those three. Even now, hours after the event, they terrified her.

"I don't know," she answered finally. "I am too tired to think of it properly. I guess it all depends on how tomorrow plays out."

'_If there even is one,' _whispered her mind. This time it was not without due reason. The goddesses may have said they could not touch Midna, but they never said anything about the rest of the Light realm. And for all her boasts and brags, Midna was not foolish enough to take on the entirety of that realm with only the comfort of knowing that at least she couldn't die at their deities' hands.

She looked at Zelda, sitting ever so perfectly like the royalty she was. The task at hand involved freeing Link from the grasp of the goddesses, essentially ripping him from his role as the Hero of Hyrule, taking him away from his position as the Divine Beast even.

"_Be gone daughter of dusk!"_

Midna gritted her teeth as she held a hand to her head.

These memories were going to be the death of her if the heavenly trio did not get to her first. There was only so much she could take before she started to slip. She could feel those memories lingering at the edge of her mind waiting, searching for some crack in her defense to exploit. One mistake and who knew what she would reveal in some careless insane babble.

'_I need some help,' _Midna realized as she stared into the roof above them, _'I have no clue on what I should do, or where I should even start.' _

"The goddesses spoke to me earlier," Zelda said suddenly, "Back there during that mess. They warned me of you and your machinations involving Link."

The twili's blood ran cold at those words. "What?"

Zelda sat on the edge of the only bed in the room, her face lean and powerful. "Yes. They told me to be wary of your intentions regarding Link. I asked about what you would do but they soon departed."

Midna was at a loss for words. What could she say to that? That the goddesses had been lying? It would be too preposterous. Even she would not fall for such a thing.

Suddenly Zelda smiled. "Your reaction tells me I was right. That's good."

The Twilight Princess did a double take. "Wait- what? What do you mean _you _were right?"

Zelda straightened her position. A small smile graced her lips, and a little life returned to her otherwise exhausted eyes. "What I mean is that the Golden ones did not so much as grace me with even a cursory nod during my prayer, Midna. They passed me by as soon as I called, and they went straight to you."

Midna remembered that ineffable power that simply sluiced through her body. The feeling of being completely and utterly submerged in every possible way, as these nigh omnipotent things just walked all over you. The anger she felt was shameful in retrospect, but inevitable considering her position. She popped the usurper king Zant as if he were a balloon, but was completely inundated as the golden ones merely passed her by.

"…Tell me, Zelda," Midna said, after several minutes of consideration, "have you ever been in a position where all the power and knowledge you possess stands to nothing against something even greater than you?"

"That's a rather redundant question, considering I was a puppet not even," here Zelda checked the clockwork machine, "twenty hours ago?"

Had it been twenty hours, Midna wondered. Shadows help her, it felt like centuries. The phantom memories were doing more than just give her headaches then, they were screwing up her entire sense of time.

"Exactly," Midna said, ignoring the flat look directed at her that all royalty bore when someone knew something they did not, "but imagine that, and compare it to how it feels when the ones greater than you are the _gods."_

The Twilight Princess tried to see if there was any kind of surprise on the other princess' face. To her disappointment, Zelda looked as impassive and stone-faced as ever. The only indication that she even heard it was that she had steepled her fingers. It…kind of pissed Midna off.

"I believe I need to hear this from the beginning." Said the Hyrulian princess at last. She made a motion for Midna to continue.

Midna made a motion Link had taught her to use only at especially arrogant guards and greedy merchants. The other princess looked quite amused.

* * *

Fyrus was being a pest. Whereas that giant plant that had harbored the first Fused Shadow had felt the need to spew poison, acid, and fling explosive insects as children do confetti, Fyrus just plain out wished to strangle Link. It had long ago yanked its chains from their tethers, and now the beast was swinging those manacles of his like mad.

It was comforting to know that she was not the one that had to deal with that monstrosity. She had gathered that Fyrus was apparently the rockheads' leader, and so far, Midna had spent half the battle wondering what kind of blithe little idiot would dare touch an artifact that she was sure he had been explicitly told, was cursed.

Link's heavy breathing caught her attention. From inside his shadow, Midna could make out several unpleasant burns across his face. Nothing a little of the spirit springs water would not be able to heal, she noted.

"What is it?" she barked at him, irritated at having her musings cut short by his own needs. "Too weak to handle dumb ol' Rockhead?"

Link's eyes told her he would like nothing better than to drop her in the magma back in the mines, but Midna was not worried. He did not know how to remove her from his shadow, and even if he ever found out, she would just lord it over his head that he had not found his farm girl.

A large, inhuman hand punched Link backwards, dragging Midna along as he cast his shadow against the light of the bright flames.

"Hey! Watch it!" she yelled, "How in shade's name am I supposed to think if you keep getting your furry ass handed to you?"

By all means, the green-clad man should have been at death's door. That blow from Fyrus would have crippled any other creature, even the Gorons themselves. Her wolf, however, did not seem keen on acknowledging his limits, and Midna did not feel inclined to inform him.

The cap was gone somewhere, probably under the rubble of one of the pillars from before. The green tunic was in tatters where his right shoulder was, the chainmail underneath glowing a hellish red. There was a small metallic gleam in his arm, from what she could see. Actually several metallic gleams.

Midna was surprised to note that those metallic gleams were actually the remains of Link's shield, which he had raised just in time to defend against Fyrus' blow.

His shield had literally shattered under the power of that hit, Midna realized, and she felt a little shudder pass through her. And this was the power of only one of the Fused Shadows! She almost felt giddy imagining the whole set together.

Link growled, and Midna, felt herself grow hot at the sound. "What!"

He pointed towards his back as he carefully but speedily picked himself up. Bending his legs, he fell into ready position with his sword and began to shuffle as quietly as he could towards Fyrus backside. It seemed that though the beast was powerful, its intelligence seemed to be lacking. _'More likely a leftover from his original self,' _Midna thought snarkily.

Her wolf seemed rather antsy though. She did not see what the problem was. All he had to do was drag the cursed beast by the chains while it was still confused, and then ram his sword through the beast's eye! She was pretty sure none of the other Rockheads would mind if Link returned their patriarch to them partially or even entirely blind. It was not as if the Rockhead leader would be worse off without it anyways, and perhaps it would teach him not to touch obviously cursed magical artifacts.

Link's growls turned to snarls as Fyrus redirected its attention back on him.

Midna rolled her eyes. "Fine, fine, but it'll burn up in this heat anyways I'm telling you."

Opening the pocket dimension she carried around with her, Midna brought out the Ordonian Shield her wolf had packed away. It had been put into storage, but considering Link's newest shield was currently embedded in his arm and scattered here and there, she had to concede that easily flammable defense was better than none whatsoever.

She levitated the shield up to his arms level, and Link did not so much as blink when he snatched it out of midair. He was too busy dodging Fyrus' whip like chains.

"The least you could do is say 'thank you'." Midna shouted over the din.

She maybe, just maybe, heard him grunt.

Well, she could be satisfied with that. Looking through her dimensional pocket, she found that there was still a bottle left with a fairy inside.

Midna did not have to think twice. While she knew the task set for him was ridiculously simple, her wolf had the bad habit of making things unexpectedly worse with each slash and tear of his fangs and claws. The same could be said for his sword skills.

She released the fairy into the air, behind Link and just above his neck. It would not do for him to see that she actually gave a damn whether flea-bitten hide was tanned or not. He might actually begin to think she cared.

This train of thought however, was thrown off course when Fyrus had wrenched the only pillar left from its place and crushed Link with a sudden downward swing.

* * *

The slingshot feeling was quickly becoming one she was all too familiar with. It did not mean that she had to like it.

"Oh for shadow's sake!" she cried, throwing her arms above her head and struggling not to launch a string of swears, "Do I _have _to go through that every ten minutes?"

"I take it you just experienced another one of these phantom memories?" Zelda asked lightly. Her eyes looked haunted with untold of exhaustion, but she still maintained as alert as ever.

It was currently some time past four in the morning according to the clockwork machine. Midna did not know exactly, the minute hand and hours hand kept flipping her off every time she looked to check.

"Yeah," she sighed, feeling weary, but somehow uplifted. Confiding in Zelda had truly been therapeutic, not enough to actually rid Midna of all her worries, but enough to get her to feel as if the task was not so impossible any more.

"And what do you expect of me now, Midna?" Zelda asked. "Please, do not read too much into my question. For the first time tonight, let us be open and not hide behind veiled intentions and placid words. You and I are both tired, for various reasons. Let us draw open the curtain of honesty, and…and…"

She trailed off uncertainly.

Midna snorted, and then laughed. "Curtain of honesty? I'm sorry, but I think I speak for both of us when I say 'What?'"

Zelda's smile was thin. "My rhetoric tutor always said I should stick to pre-made speeches. I just can't seem to do so well in surprising situations."

"I'll say." Midna said, emphatic agreement in every syllable, "Though it does lead me to wonder how you did so well with the townspeople earlier. A little nudge in the right direction from a deity, I'm guessing?"

The blond shook her head slowly, that same unreadable expression on her face once more. "I was not lying when I said the goddesses passed me by. They only helped catch the people's attention. All I did was deliver the show they expected."

'_The way she said that-' _Midna's eyes widened, before her companion an impish grin.

"How deceitful." She chuckled. "I wonder what the townspeople would do if they ever found out that that little rousing speech was pre-made. That their dear little, princess, all bundled up in sugary goodness and little sparkles, had long expected her own kingdom to devolve into chaos. How long? Weeks most likely. Or perhaps mo-"

Midna's words died on her tongue as she looked at Zelda, who was now sitting at the table, looking unimpressed.

"You should stop evading the question, Midna," she said, her tone containing a steely note underneath.

The redhead sighed and sat down across from the other princess. "This is why I find you to be insufferable Zelda. You are far too perceptive for your own good. You'd probably tell your future husband everything he's feeling while you two are shag-"

"_Midna." _

"Go to hell!" Midna snapped, "Fine, you want to know? I don't think you're going to do a thing! You're a princess, he's your country's damned savior, you've got a castle to rebuild, and who knows how many people to account for."

Zelda looked calm. Insufferably so. Midna considered socking the princess just to see if she bled the same as Link. There was no way such an impassive expression could be maintained on a human face after everything said and experienced.

"Exactly," she said, looking as stiff and majestic as ever, "now, let me ask you this, why did you tell me all this?"

She began tapping on the table, tracing out the faint outlines of a melody. To Midna's surprise, she found that she knew it. Even after only hearing it once, Midna was absolutely sure that it was the tune of one of the Howling Stones.

"Because," Midna began vaguely, still slightly aware of the silent lullaby Zelda was tapping, "I wanted…someone to know….in case I fail."

The tapping stopped for a second, but soon picked up again. "Who's to say that even this small reprieve will be granted to you? You are repeating the mistakes your ancestors committed, and I don't think even you are aware of what you have wrought."

"It matters not to me," Midna said flippantly.

"But to me it does!"

Midna's neck nearly snapped as she turned to look at Zelda, standing and breathing heavily. "Why?" Midna pressed, for once feeling in control of the conversation.

"I do not wish to see you destroyed," Zelda said loudly, "It would be a waste of life, and all for what? So you can go off and prove yourself to be the better person? How arrogant can you get?" The last part was a near shout. Somewhere in the middle of her sentence she had jumped from her chair, her hair flying askew from the sudden motion.

The blue woman leaned back in her chair, and closed her eyes. She mentally counted to ten, trying to restrain her breathing. Whenever something was particularly annoying and he simply could not slice it down, Link would do the exact same thing. Sadly, he never seemed to let on how difficult it was.

"Please, Zelda, what happened to being honest with each other?" she managed to grit out after a while. "Do you take me for some kind of fool?"

The only indication of surprise on Zelda's face was the minutest raise of her eyebrows. It did not matter, because soon she sat back down, her expression kempt and controlled. She was the perfect actress.

"You are getting better." She said simply, resuming tapping that strange little lullaby from before.

"You're being a bitch."

Zelda's slender shoulders shrugged. "Like I said before, court habits are difficult to break out of."

"Really? I guess I'll just take your word for it."

"Your flippant behavior still astounds me." Zelda said, ignoring the sarcasm, "It's no wonder you said that to the goddesses. What was it again? 'You insult my kin with your prim little tweets'?" Here she shook her head, "I'm seriously considering whether to treat you as insane or not."

Midna gave a mock bow. "Don't forget me calling them, well, witches. I'm particularly proud of that."

The two of them giggled. It was polite and forced, the kind reserved only for those of a high social status, the kind two people share over a piece of golden-roasted turkey breast. The two of them had faced things that would leave others blubbering masses of tears and gibberish, but now the result was this, the two of them acting as if someone had just told a bad skull joke.

The clock chimed five in the morning. The sound pulled the two of them out of their reverie, reminding them that yes, that the past few months were not a dream, and that no, the world was not going to give them more than even a few minutes of peace.

"You were right, you know." Zelda began mildly, "I'm not going to do anything."

Midna held her face in her hands. Why was it that she could only think about how good it was to actually be able to do that without feeling like a stone mask would just throw her off balance?

"It's not for any personal reasons, believe me. Nor is it because I wish to gain favor with the goddesses-"

'_Being locked up in a tower for almost a year probably does that to you,' _Midna could not help but remark to herself.

"-but, it's more along the lines that I…can't."

Midna nodded. "Can't" was probably the best way to put it. There was simply too much pressure on Zelda as it was. To ask anything more of the woman after all the aid she had given would be breaching whatever blurry line in the sand that defined their relationship.

"I can however, give you advice. Again." Zelda's voice was wry and strung out. "If you truly wish to seek to separate Link from his position as the Chosen Hero, you will have to sever all his ties with them."

Was cryptic and deceitful Zelda's default mode or something? Midna was tempted to interject, but it seemed her jaw had locked and was unwilling to wake up from its temporary slumber.

"That and," and here Zelda raised and showed the back of her hand, "I suggest you take as much advantage of the gift of the gods. It will undoubtedly prove invaluable to you in your challenge. The past is just as much a prophet's tool as any vision will ever be."

Midna glanced down at her own hands. Unlike Link, Zelda, and Ganondorf, there was no mark on the back of either of her hands. Yet, Nayru and Din had both told her of her connection with the Triforce, and Farore had said nothing to discredit that. All she knew of it was that her connection to Wisdom was almost literally hammering memories of times she never lived into her head.

"From what you have told me, it would seem that the goddesses can no longer affect you as they would affect Link or I, for example. It most likely means that you are the only one that cannot be directly influenced by them, but it does not prevent them from influencing the people of the city to suddenly begin questioning the presence of a decidedly exotic woman in the city."

"And from there a mob?" Midna added, already guessing the woman's thoughts.

"To put it lightly."

"So what's stopping them now?" Midna asked, gesturing towards the room at large. "What's stopping them from making the townspeople burning the inn down?"

"They are goddesses," Zelda said softly, "they operate differently from you and me. Our historical records of them are at best, laudably inventive, and at worst, complete quackery that just happened to garner enough believers."

"Careful now," Midna warned playfully, "they might be listening in on you right now. We wouldn't want two princesses with divine bounties on their heads now do we?"

Zelda waved away her concerns. "Considering whom I just spent the last two hours talking with, I doubt that's much of a question anymore. They undoubtedly know of everything that's being said."

Midna closed her eyes and cursed. As much as she suspected it, having all her fears being validated like this was not helping her morale.

"They won't act on it however, not immediately at least."

"Enlighten me, O Princess Zelda," Midna exclaimed, tired of all the pretense, "explain to me why they just won't smite the roof of this inn with lightning, or make an army of Darknuts wait outside those doors this very minute? What's stopping them?"

"Themselves," Zelda responded.

A dropped pin would have been an uproarious cacophony compared to the silence then.

"That's _it?"_ Midna was incredulous.

"Indeed," Zelda nodded. "All that is conclusively known about them is that they operate on their own set of rules. If they do not do something, it is because they see reason not to do it. If they act, it is because they see reason to."

Midna began tapping on the table herself. She had to do something, despite all that happened, her body was still full of energy.

"If they have as of yet, not done anything like plant and nurture seeds of doubt among the townspeople or bring those ghastly monsters to our doorstep, then it is because they have deemed something about it simply not worth it.

"However, bear in mind that just because they have not taken action against you just yet, it does not preclude you from being targeted in the future. They may find it more preferable to attack you through more…indirect means."

Zelda fell silent after that. The implications were many, and none of them left a good taste in her mouth.

Midna stood up and looked at the clock. It was almost five thirty in the morning. A second passed before she realized that she had essentially just spent the entire night working and talking with Zelda. Another second passed before it suddenly sunk in that Zelda really would not be able to help her in her quest. It was expected actually, and in no way did Midna fault her for remaining dutiful to her people (a thing Midna herself knew she should be), but it would have been wonderful if something other than counsel had been given. At that point, Midna would not have been opposed to repeat attempt at melding their essences, if only to somehow grasp the situation at hand more easily.

"I think," she said after a bit, "I'll go see my wolf."

The other princess made no movement to indicate she heard her. In fact, she merely remained there, in her seat, her chest falling up and down with each breath. Her eyes were closed, and even then, Princess Zelda looked like a porcelain doll. She had fallen asleep.

"Thank you," Midna whispered to the still body, "I know I'm insufferable Zelda, but I truly do mean this. You and Link, if nothing else, are the only ones whom I will always be indebted to. Him, for returning my kingdom and my existence, and you, for that second chance to experience it."

That was the last thing she said before she melted into the shadows.

* * *

Several moments passed, and when Midna did not return, Zelda opened her eyes. Her normally serene blue orbs glistened in the candlelight, and there were the tiniest downwards curves at the edges of her lips.

"I was once told that the greatest power a shepherd may have is to make the sheep follow him not out of necessity, but of want." Zelda said to the empty room, to the shadows all around her, "Any princess with enough talent can move the hearts of her people, Midna. Any twist of the words can make them your greatest allies.

"However, you are the only one I know that can make another shepherd wish to give up their staff."

After that, Zelda began to plan her orders of business. She began to mark cargo shipments and their known dates of arrivals and departures. She began to draw plans for the excavation of the destroyed palace to the royal family's coffers, where the contents would finally be put to good use. She theorized several ways to reign in the country, to return it to its former glory.

However, she stopped when she realized what it was she was tapping on the table. Before, it had simply been the old lullaby her mother taught, the one passed down through centuries, but somehow it had shifted its focus.

With a start, Zelda realized it was the lullaby, but in reverse. Somehow, over the course of her conversation with Midna, the lullaby had been inverted, leaving a strange tune hovering inside Zelda's head.

Zelda hummed it out part of this foreign melody.

The clock struck six.

She stopped in mid-hum.

Looking over the entire conversation in her mind, a great sense of sorrow began to take hold of her. It was similar to the one she had felt all those months ago, when she had enlisted Midna's help in finding the Hero.

Zelda remembered her little stint in Castle Town's central square. She had called on the goddesses for the second time in hours, and that had drained her of whatever magical power she had left at the time. The first time had nearly killed her with its intensity, holding all the power of the Light realm compressed into the form of arrows.

She considered Midna's likely progression from that point. Whatever divining powers Wisdom gave her did not let Zelda find anything. The lack of results was disheartening to say the least.

And when all other trains of thought seemed exhausted, Zelda heaved a sigh so heavy it was a wonder none of the guards outside came in.

It seemed that there was only one thing left to do.

Getting down on her knees, Zelda leaned against the inn room's table, and clasped her hands. She knew the irrationality of what she was doing, but it did not stop her.

Zelda began to pray for her friends' safe prospective journey.

**End Part 1**

* * *

Author Notes: So a couple of weeks ago my cousin's come by and tell me of how much they want to play Twilight Princess but they don't have the money for the game, even if used. They're eight and six years old! Then I in a glorious moment of ignorance said yeah. They then proceeded to watch me slaughter Bulbins and their pigs during the chase after Colin in Hyrule Field.

They didn't even blink at the sight of the skeletons when I passed by those again. I remember thinking to myself an hour later: 'What the hell?'. Of course, I had already lent them the game.

Anyways...

I can't really get behind the whole Zelda becoming Link and Midna's new best friend/lover or whatever, merely because whatever precedent (which I lightly acknowledge) there was for it makes it seem like a load of crap to me. I like TP!Zelda, just because she's so reserved and jaded.

As to Midna, I'm rather worried she's being too emotional in my fic, but I'm trying to fix that. I can't really get behind an angsty or sad Midna. If that's the way it is right now, please tell me. Even just one line would be appreciated (though I'd like it if you left more).

So yeah, end of part one. Part two is going to be three chapters, and part three is going to be three as well, with a possible epilogue chapter added. And I've actually got the ending planned out. I just need to get there.

Once again, much thanks to everyone who reviewed, because you all are awesome. I'll be going on the hunt for another beta-reader seeing as how MisterP is now retiring from fanfiction. Pity, because he had some good stuff. Anyone interested, please PM me.

Ciao for now,

Quantum Cat


	4. Chapter 4: The Ale

**Chapter 4: The Ale**

It annoyed Midna that despite having recovered her body and having been at Link's side all this time she still had to hide herself from the guards stationed around the inn just to visit her tired pet. It was a trifle of an obstacle, but it still peeved her.

Melding in with the shadows came as naturally to her as it always did. Her transformation had done nothing to that fortunately. As she ran across the floor and walls, hidden from any curious eyes, the light of dawn began to seep in through the window cracks. Midna crinkled her face, ignoring that strange prickling on her skin of whenever the dawn light touched her.

She had heard of the changing seasons from Link. Some months into their adventure she had noticed that the weather had begun to act differently from before, and she had been worried that it had been Zant gaining ever more control of the land. She had calmed when it had been explained that this was the norm for that realm, but remained wary of all the little changes she could notice.

The absurd time that the sun rose was one of them. She supposed that after spending a good two months in the cold snowy mountains one might be more accepting of the early sun, but she remained as cautious as ever.

There was some place in her heart that adored it. It was a traitorous little thing, finding beauty in the simplest of things of the light realm. She had shut that voice out since finding out about the truth about her visions, but there was only so much she could ignore.

Traveling through a guardrail's shadow on the wall, Midna stopped and waited for a guard doing his rounds to pass by. With so many shadows, it should have been easy, but her concentration was strained. She found her eyes lazily drifting off as she thought about things, making her trip across the inn take far longer than it should have.

Link had been given a room on the other side of inn, as far away from Zelda as possible without blatantly throwing him out on the streets. The guards had commandeered the rest of the building for themselves with most of them congregating near the princess but with a few patrolling the corridors and stationed near 'strategic points for defense'.

Midna happened to noticed that at least two thirds of those points of were at places where they could easily run away from and defense would mean suicide; she had a feeling that not many of them were up to becoming martyrs anytime soon.

Even so, there happened to be a fair few faces here and there that actually seemed to be determined. Midna took note of how young these looked.

Considering how the town's people had been ransacking places for anything of value or comfort, and how later things were being so easily 'found' for the sake of pooling in their resources, it was no surprise that Link's room was sparsely furnished. Only the mattress was there. The people had not even left the bed frame.

It was with no surprise then, that when Midna finally entered that she was met with a deathly silence. What did surprise her, but not as much as it should have now that she thought about it, was that that deathly silence had no wolf in Hero's clothing lying in wait for the one that dared enter his sleeping territory.

_'Link's missing,'_ Midna thought. Strangely, she was not so much worried as amused by this sudden turn of events.

She stared at the room, trying gauge whether it had somehow swallowed him up. It occurred to her that that would probably be one of the only ways to actually kill him now.

She noticed that he had not even left the Master Sword in its scabbard. Of course, he had not once been without a weapon nearby in the past few months, and with good reason. It just annoyed her that it had to be that particular weapon.

Rising out of the shadow reaching in from under the door, Midna grunted as she walked over to the bed, looked at it briefly and lightly kicked it.

It did not give her nearly as much satisfaction as kicking Link.

She wondered where the man had gone off to now. There were any number of things to do in the town, even in the state it was in, but which thing he would go off and do?

_'That little-'_

* * *

The feel of the night was nice, Link noted as he shot the arrow through the abomination. This crisp lively air was a lot better than that hot muggy air at the Southern Swamp. Back there it bogged him down, clinging to his clothes and causing all kinds of feverish deliriums that would leave him weak for hours at a time.

Twice he had to use Song of Time because he had contracted a horrible illness native only to that part of Termina or he had forgotten to boil his water.

Not here though, not at the ranch.

Gods, what the hell was he even doing here? Here and now, he could take out the Ocarina and travel back to the first day. He would be back to relative safety, and get back to the real problem at hand: the giant moon that Tatl was positively sure was following their every move.

He promised to himself that he was going to clip her wings once this was all over. Whatever _this_ was though, he would have to figure out first.

Link notched another arrow and let it fly, almost pausing in his attack to consider the morality of his actions.

Maybe that Romani girl was the evil one, he wondered. Maybe these cows that these creatures have been abducting are really some sacred resource of theirs? The Romani Ranch could have kidnapped them and trying to blackmail this strange race into doing their bidding.

Maybe I'm evil, Link thinks and then moves on to shoot the two that are circling around the back of the house. Maybe that moon is actually the goddesses way of telling me to not save this country?

The creatures died instantly whenever the arrows touched Them. They were horribly fragile things, dying by touching even the slightest of injuries. On one run through of this shenanigan, he had even run out of arrows in the panic and had resorted to throwing sharp stones and pieces of glass at Them.

Anything that could draw blood worked on killing these beasts. Even his sword, improved beyond reasoning thanks to those smiths in the mountains, would kill them. The entire reason he did not just cut and slash through these beasts was that there was just too many of them and he had promised he would not let Them reach the barn.

Just reaching the barn was enough for Them. He would freeze up if they did, suddenly feeling terrified and so very small again. Like he hadn't actually slain more of them than they of he, and that each run through he didn't try, at least a little bit, to kill them in subtly different ways each time.

And then Romani would be taken too, fighting and screaming and crying and bleeding.

The monsters would not even say a thing, not even make damned sound like a breath or a scream of pain when killed. There would be a hiss, like hot air leaving a balloon, and then they would fizzle out of existence, not even leaving their corpses behind.

There were times Link would wait it out, that he would conveniently ignore the fact that there was a literal invasion of Romani Ranch going on at three in the morning. He would then puke his guts out, disgusted with himself, and use the Song of Time to go back and fix things.

He would do it knowing, knowing, knowing, that it was only a temporary fix and that he was nowhere close to giving Romani at least a permanent ending.

Sometimes he got it right, sometimes he did not. He was not sure he preferred one way to the other anymore, or if he ever did to begin with.

He had lost count of how many times he had done this now. Of how many he had even killed to protect Romani and her cows from Them.

Sometimes he would even forget why he would do this in the first place, run away in the middle of the invasion, and then come back in the morning, pale and shaking and hoping (but knowing better all the same). He would then puke his guts again, be the little boy he was and cry.

On a really good run through, he would hug the catatonic Romani and spend the next two days with her.

He would play the Song of Time, then. Always at the last second; and always at that last second Link would see that perturbed look in her eyes that indicated something alive was behind them. And he would leave her there, with the moon about to drop on top of her, and him going back in time to make sure it does not happen, knowing full well that it most likely would.

Link closed his eyes, notched an arrow, and grinned slightly when he heard the hiss of a perfect shot.

He opened them again and spotted two of Them almost reaching the barn door.

"Hyah!" He urged Epona, hoping his pony would close the distance fast enough.

He grit his teeth when he saw she wouldn't. For a moment he cursed her young body, if she were her fully grown self, then he knew she would make it easily.

No matter.

Her jabbed his heels further into her one last time, before he quickly stood up in his saddle. He was going to need a bit of extra height for this.

But suddenly, Epona tripped. Her young body unused to the stress of battle her master seemed so inclined on participating.

The end result being a half ton pony falling on to its side, crushing the body of her young rider.

* * *

_'-mutt.'_

There was a moment of silence akin to that of a funeral. Followed by the loud sound of flesh meeting stone, and then a string of words in Twili that could best be described as 'creative' had anyone been listening.

The princess grit her teeth as the memory refused to leave her sight. It felt like putting a string of see-through pictures on top of each other. If she focused she could see the memory play out, but she concentrated on separating that from reality.

She sneered, and tried to ignore the strange feeling rising up in her throat.

"Come on, Farore," Midna spat out, "is that all you've got?"

The memory faded from her sight as she focused instead on the dull throbbing pain in her hand. She was by no means physically weak, even if her form seemed dainty compared to one like Link's. Punching the stone wall, she reasoned though, was not nearly as cathartic as she had hoped.

The twili tried moving it, and sucked in a breath as she felt it alight painfully. She was more worried with those memories that kept breaking past her willpower however.

It hurt just to acknowledge them. There was power there, Midna knew that. There were lives and lies, and power and several other things. She could feel them like a lead weight on a rubber sheet, and they just kept piling on top of each other, never stopping never ending. Midna was not naïve enough to believe that all of them were real memories, but even if they were not, that did not make their impact any less harsh.

The Twilight Princess clutched at her hand that punched the wall. She winced at the feeling in it, but noted that it was not broken. It still hurt, and she silently made a vow not to punch another wall in the foreseeable future. It just was not worth it.

She left, off in search of Link, purposely ignoring the lingering thoughts. Trying not to feel as if she and the Link in the memory were not one and the same.

Because she had a feeling that a moon was going to be the least of things she had to worry about.

* * *

She found him in the stable caring for Epona. The bags under his eyes told her that he had not slept a wink last night, and she could not help but derive some satisfaction out of this fact because neither had she. Resting against the wall was the Master Sword, well within his reach.

There was still blood on his clothing. It was dried and had probably not even been washed off the chainmail underneath, and he was wearing it as comfortably as dogs wear their fur. The hem of his tunic was singed and black, and his boot seemed to be ripping down the edges.

It took a lot of willpower not to recall how perfect Farore was in her own tunic. This however, only let her mind wander to other more irritating subjects.

Such as what it was he was doing at this ungodly hour. Midna could understand the importance of caring for your horse, after all, she too had helped him in the months since Epona joined him again. There was however, a certain thing called common sense, and despite her earlier feeling of vindication, Midna knew the man had been dead on his feet when they arrived in Castle Town. She could only imagine what even kept him standing right now.

If Link knew she was here, he made no motion to show it. He kept passing the brush through Epona's mane, humming gentle nothings to her snorts and neighs. If Midna did not know any better she would almost say he was having a conversation with the horse.

It would be fitting though, she supposed, that he talked with a horse and not her.

"You're going to have to take it easy sometime, Link."

The blue woman narrowed her eyes from within the shadows. Even though she had already walked among the people of Castle Town in her true form, it had been chaotic then. Now that things were a little more settled, she was not so sure she wanted to reveal herself so publicly just yet.

Link looked towards the voice, mindful of the Master Sword still within his reach. He relaxed though upon seeing Rusl standing there in the entryway, with some kind of package under his arm.

The older Ordonian did not wait to be invited in and walked over. He handed the package to Link, who took it but looked confused as to what for.

Rusl crossed his arms. "Look at you, huh?" He said with a soft smile, "All beat up and bloody! Just like Talo when he's upset Beth!"

The former ranch hand smiled at the jab to his appearance. He placed the horse brush in a bag hanging on the wall, and sat down on a bench next to his mentor.

The man shook his head as if disbelieving of Link's attitude. "I remember when you used to be such a hothead. Just me poking you would cause the whole village to end up in a ruckus for days."

Link cocked his head curiously at that, but then turned to the package now in his lap.

The other one sat down next to him on the bench. "Telma told me to give that to you." He said gently, "Said you were probably going to act like a hero again and wait until everyone was okay before actually taking care of yourself."

Midna suppressed a smile. There was no acting involved.

Rusl shrugged. "Women." He said, as if that could explain every single thing in the universe. "Don't tell Uli I said that, alright?"

The boy nodded and began to unwrap the gift.

It was a crude thing, poorly wrapped and somewhat wet too. But even from inside the walls' shadows Midna could smell the food and suddenly she wished Link noticed she was there so he would share some with her.

A large piece of meat, still warm too, was there, along with a small piece of bread and what looked like an apple.

It was a surprisingly large portion of food especially considering how small the package seemed.

Link picked up the bread, split it in half, and offered it to Rusl.

The man chuckled. "No thanks. Telma was also gracious enough to let us rest up at the bar. She's probably got the biggest handle on things of us all right now."

He quieted down, and suddenly he was leaning on his knees and looking at the ground.

"A lot of stuff happened back there, didn't it?" He asked softly, "Din help me, so much..."

Link stopped to swallow his food before putting a comforting hand on his back.

"The children being kidnapped, the monsters in the Field, and the castle- my goddess the castle- too much." He said, "I thought this was going to end really quick. A week of hunting for the kids- two weeks tops- and then we could all just go back to the village and go back to telling Colin and the others all those bedtime stories about a Chosen Hero of some sort."

The look on Link's face stiffened at the mention of his title. Something akin to shame came and went before he went back to eating. His manner was more subdued, which did not go unnoticed by Rusl.

"Sorry, you went through all that too, huh? Probably more if you've been in half the places my partners have seen you at."

Midna knew of the man's strange affinity for the birds. She just didn't know that he had more than one, or even one that could apparently keep track of Link for so long. It sent a shiver of fear down her spine as she just how easy to find they'd been.

Rusl sighed, and leaned back against the wall. "We were at war, and I didn't even know it until it was too late."

Suddenly, the Twilight Princess wondered just what it was the rebels that congregated at Telma's bar every now and then did in the time she and Link went around hunting for Fused Shadows and Mirror Shards.

Her first answer to that left a thick sensation stuck in her throat. Link was one thing, he was the Hero, he was supposed to be special, but for the goddesses to force them through those horrors as well...

"We fought these things. They'd just materialize from nowhere, like ghosts even." The man sighed. "They weren't as harmless though. They kept coming back no matter how much you killed them.

Me and Ashei figured out how to eventually of course, but by that point the people we had been protecting had just given up hope of ever traveling the countryside again. And then I was told of the things in Kakariko . . ."

There was a sort of panic in the farmer's voice. Like a bird's trill at the morning sun, or even the incomprehensible tweets of robins as they flew overhead.

With a flash of sudden insight, Midna suddenly had a close guess as to why.

Ever since she and Link had heard of Barney's tale at Renado's house, Link had always acted differently, as if something was physically restraining him and weighing him down as he fought those eight foot plus abominations dubbed the Messengers.

She had blown it off at the time, and had tried to remain as callous and posed as her usual self for Link's sake, but that did not mean she had been unaffected.

There had been a mysterious population shortage in Kakariko, an alarming amount once you took into account that the village had once had over two hundred people according to records she had sneaked a look at one night. It was by no means a large amount, but few people would wish to live at the foot of a place called Death Mountain.

Regardless, Link and the rest of the able-body survivors (sans the children) had managed to scour all the bodies that could be found, and their total just came to be a little over thirty. Not counting the twenty or so people who had lived through the cloak of Twilight, it left more than one hundred and fifty bodies unaccounted for.

"-they ran. They weren't ready to deal with that. We weren't ready for that."

There was a pause as Rusl let out a long shuddering breath.

"The thing is, some of those...things -well, you're probably going to think I'm crazy or something- well, I think some of those were ummm..."

_'Human,'_ Midna finished for him. _'They were human. Those Messengers were people. Twisted by magic, but people.'_

Even months after the realization, it left her sick. Whatever doubt that there may have been in their hearts that Zant deserved to die was thrown out the window from that point on. It did not matter if he deserved it or not.

She and Link had learned to deal with this. They had dug graves for the corpses of those Messengers that had Zant had deemed beyond recovery. They had honored those poor souls as best as they could by working harder to dismantle Zant's and Ganondorf's reign over the land.

Rusl however, had no one. He was just a farmer, one who had learned to use a sword so he could protect his village from animals and dumb Bokoblins, not wage war against an unknown enemy.

Midna felt a surge of sympathy for the man, but she quashed it, trying not to let herself fall for his sob story. She had seen and done worse in her time with Link. If the Hero was not the text book example of how to traumatize ones self, then she'd swallow the Fused shadows whole.

_'Link comes first,'_ she told herself, _'he's their toy. Don't get distracted.'_

Nonetheless, Rusl still kept his haunted look. The redhead growled and turned away from the scene, blaming her wolf for making her so soft.

* * *

The next few days passed in a blur of motion that did not let up for even a minute. Zelda had delivered another short speech to the city three days since Midna had told her of the Golden Ones ploys, and she had left the savior duo alone for their time in Castle Town, choosing only to deliver messages through letters and sometimes guards.

Somehow, it got out that Link had done something to help get rid of the barrier surrounding the castle, and people were soon swarming to get a look at the man who they believed caused the birth of a new era.

Which is to say, people kept mobbing the poor ranch hand every time he went out in public. He was already seriously considering sleeping outside the gates, but common sense and the constant promise of a warm bed and cooked food kept luring the man back to some of the inns.

He had finally decided to rest a couple days ago, and no one was surprised when he had nodded off while tending to his mare once again. As soon as someone left to fetch help to carry him to bed, however, they found that he had gone missing. A short search revealed that he was in a room, already under the covers.

No one caught the snicker of mischief as a woman emerged from the shadows and stood watch for an entire night.

Currently, the entire rebel group was now in Telma's bar, chatting about this or that. Auru had his arm in a sling, while Ashei had a burn across her chest and was now forced to dress in civilian clothes so the light armor and chain mail wouldn't agitate the healing process. Shad counted his lucky stars as all the damage he had earned had amounted to a rough chokehold that had already healed.

Midna still did not feel comfortable looking at Rusl, for more reasons than one.

Whatever little injuries he had all healed, along with his energy. He was now once again that same jovial and determined man who had left his village in search of his and everyone else's kids. At times however, he would just stop whatever he was doing and stare at things while softly scratching his wrist.

Link had somehow managed to enter a staring contest with Ashei, who was in a bit of a foul mood without her armor. She refused though, to let her sword leave her side, and she still wore the boots that went with armor.

Shad whistled. He had become the unofficial overseer of this staring match by silent majority. "That's three minutes, you two. Are you sure this is safe?"

The question went over everybody'd heads as Ashei and Link leaned in closer to each other, each trying to intimidate the other with their stare.

Midna was impressed. Not many things could stare her wolf down and the way the manly woman was doing. Then again, few things tended to live after the first ten seconds of meeting those eyes.

She had yet to reveal her presence to this group that Link had taken part of. In fact, she had yet to walk in the sunlight since the day the goddesses had brought her back.

There had been no sign of anything coming in from the other side of the Mirror of Twilight. She had found the courage to actually warp to the Mirror Chamber some times and check for any disturbances. She daren't actually activate it and enter the Twilight Realm, for fear that she would not find her way back if she did.

Her curiosity was abated though by the missive she had set for herself. Cutting the strings by which the Golden Ones played the Hero.

She had avoided meeting with Zelda since that night, knowing perfectly well that if the two of them spent any more time done then things between the two of them would only worsen so long as Midna still knew the truth and Zelda still had a kingdom to rebuild. There were just too many conflicted interests when it came to Link.

Even so, the Twilight Princess promised to somehow make it up to the bearer of Wisdom for all the advice she had given her.

"You know, you're a very girly man, yeah." Ashei said, now foreheads touching with Link. "Anyone tell ya?"

The man's eyes flickered to the shadow against the wall, where Midna was.

Ashei flicked him across the ear. "No looking away, yeah. You're supposed to pay attention to me here."

Link growled softly, but made no move to argue.

"Jeez," the woman warrior said, "you even have really girly eyes too."

Midna tried to keep her snickering muffled but even then Link would know it. The look on the man's face was only too priceless.

"And the lips look so damn sissy, yeah, that they-"

At this point Link had had enough of the fun everyone was having at his expense and had decided to turn the tables.

By leaning forward just that much more and kissing Ashei. He leapt back just as soon as she made a swipe for him, crossed his arms, and nodded, satisfied even if he did lose the contest.

The rest of the group had the decency to look away and snigger at the actions of the two. Link, they had found, was a very odd man, practically a boy in some parts and older than all of them in others. For such a strange joke to be played was surprising but not unexpected.

Ashei stood up, her hand already on the pommel of her sword, but Shad's intervening hand stopped her from flipping the table and tackling the green clad boy.

"Now, now, Ashei, give it a rest. You were asking for it, what with calling him womanly and all."

Telma crossed her arms and gave Shad a look. "Is there anything wrong with being called womanly, Shad?" She said pointedly, pressing up her arms in such a way to accentuate her bosom.

The man's glasses fogged up a bit as he stared at it, stammering and trying to remember what it was he was going to say.

"N-nothing, of course." He settled.

The dark-skinned raised an eyebrow at him but smiled coyly nonetheless. "Then let the two of them have their fun -though I think little Ilia would have Ashei's head if she found out about this."

There was another round of chuckles at that, while Link glared at the floor as if trying to kill it with his stare.

He leaned back and began to teeter on just the rear legs of the chair. It was not long before he for no apparent reason lost his balance and fell backwards, letting loose a yelp as he hit the floor.

"You can storm a monster infested castle singlehandedly, yet lose your balance on a chair." Auru shook his head, "I don't think I'll ever understand you."

"I've been trying to since I met the boy." Rusl told him, smiling and scratching his chin as he reminisced. "He just popped in the village one day and started playing with the kids. Some dirt and smudge, but not much else."

Everyone turned to Link, who had stood up and was stretching. Several cracks were head before he sat down once again, a lazy look in his eyes as he stared back at them.

"Speaking of the kids, Link," Rusl said, this time fully addressing the boy, "I think it's time you and I headed out back to Ordon don't you?"

Midna focused her gaze on Rusl, trying not to let it known to Link just how much what he said mattered to her.

"I just received a letter from Bo and Uli this morning. Everything's fine," Rusl said, seeing the look on Link's face, "But they're still want everyone back where they belong: with them."

He did not say whether everyone included Link, but it was clear he thought so judging by the look he was leveling on the youth. Link simply shifted in his seat.

"And personally, I'm inclined to agree with them. Not totally, mind you, because there's no plausible way we can get there by the end of the week even if everyone rode the fastest horse alive-"

And here Link glanced towards where Midna was hiding in his shadow. She could imagine what he was thinking, and with a quick deliberate motion she told him 'No'.

"-even so, I think if it's best you come with me. Just to help me guard the kids while we travel through the fields and the forest."

The entire group was silent. Telma had closed up the bar early just so she could actually take some time out and enjoy it with her ragtag group of friends, but suddenly any noise would have been a welcome thing. None of them were idiots, they could hear the subtle message being said.

I can't take this anymore.

And not a single soul in that bar could condemn him for it. Not even Link, who Midna was fairly sure had grown to at least partially love the feeling of telling Death to piss off. Ironic, given what goddesses had done.

A vision of bright, beautiful fire danced across her eyes, and suddenly a dragon came out of nowhere and clamped down across her body. The scream of pain was inhuman, mixing with the roar of the volcano around them as they plunged into the black and molten magma with explosive force.

Midna reached out to grab something as she returned from the memory. She made a note to never actually fight a dragon with nothing but a sword like all Heroes seemed so keen on doing. It was nigh suicidal as far as she cared and she had made that thought very clear to her wolf in their journey's.

That still did not stop him from cutting through the leathery skin of the dragon Argorok like it was paper mache. From then on it had been a matter of explosive arrows to its weaker spots and expert swordwork.

Which still did not stop him from dying at least a dozen times during that fight.

It was not the resurrection part that bothered Midna so much. It was the complete and utter disrespect that disturbed the princess to her very core. They played goddess with the lives and emotions of these people, gracing them with their presence when they felt like it and playing the board in different ways when they didn't. What most perturbed Midna was that she was to even sure that was even wrong of them.

How the hell did one expect a goddess to act like a mortal creature?

With that realization came another: this was the same. This rebellion of hers, had been set up long in advance, probably as soon as they realized she would not accept their offer for redemption.

And, even knowing this, Midna let herself smile. Because the heaven's had chosen the wrong princess this time, and she was going to make sure they regretted it.

She was brought back from her thoughts as dull 'thunk' sounds came from the group. They were toasting something.

Auru stood and raised his mug, a wizened smile on the old archiver's face. "To friendships new," he said, looking to Link and Shad, the youngest members of their group, "And to friendships old," he said, addressing Telma and Rusl, who both raised their own mugs.

"To crazy monsters abound, and our blades in their way, yeah."

"To discoveries made, and lessons relearned!" Shad declared red-faced and suspiciously moist eyes.

"To rest for the dead, and peace for us all."

"To men with fierce eyes, and women with wild charms!" Telma laughed.

And everyone looked towards Link, who they knew had barely spoken at all since they met him. They never outright asked one another, though they certainly imagined just how it was this strange young man in green survived or even communicated so perfectly with people.

Link raised his own mug for a second, opened his mouth as if to say something, and then paused as his eyes wandered over all the faces around him and the shadows around him.

Midna felt her stomach do a backflip as those blue orbs landed on where she was, and stayed just a scant bit longer than the others, before returning to the group of expectant faces.

And once again, he did not say a thing as he bowed his head respectfully towards them, raised his ale, and then chugged it like there was no tomorrow.

Everyone got the message, and soon joined him.

* * *

The caravan was not a particularly large one as far as caravans went, but it certainly could accommodate another sword for its purpose. It was to transport some medicine and masonry materials along with a few architects so that the reconstruction of Kakariko Village could begin. None of the survivors were actual doctors, and Renado the shaman could only do so much healing with what he had. He was a spiritual man, not a medicinal one.

It was even a miracle that he managed to nurse Prince Ralis back to health, he once told Link after the recovery. He had even said the same thing about Ilia too, that it had been a miracle that she recovered her memory all in one go.

Midna suspected that he would likely think that Link being alive after entering the castle was a miracle in itself too, and she wasn't so sure she liked that.

"He's a miracle making man, that Link," she had heard him tell Gor Coron once late at night, "I can only thank the heavens that he's on our side in all this."

It was with this thought that Midna mentally apologized to the man. At the end of it all, if she really did free Link from the grasp of the goddesses, she was not sure he would be on anyone's side but his own.

Regardless, the caravan welcomed Link with mostly open arms. The other men that were acting as bodyguards for the people did not take well to the presence of a newcomer, but they had neglected to mention how it was they were just as new to the scene of battle.

Rusl too came, talked with some of the people leading the group, and was also part of it in no time at all.

He found Link sitting on top of a barrel and watching everyone like a hawk. More than a few people had already come to ask why it was he was not getting ready to leave for such a long distance, and all he'd done is lift his pouch and his canteen of water and let them go their way.

Rusl however, had learned not to ask seemingly sensical questions to his unseemingly odd friend, and instead had called Link over to help him with loading food and water onto his own horse.

"You know, these people," Rusl began gently, "they're our responsibility right? You know what that means don't you?"

There was a pause and then Link nodded, strapping a rope around a sack of flour. He grunted with effort as he lifted another and piled it on top.

"It means they come before you, no matter what." Rusl said firmly, trying to apparently impress the importance of this information on his incredibly casual friend. "It means that you're not looking out for yourself when you're fighting, like you're probably used to, but for these people."

Link nodded as if bored, which was not the best thing to do. Rusl grabbed him by the shoulder and made the youth face him.

"Listen to me!" He hissed. "I know you're capable Link, Farore knows that you've long since surpassed me even without that mighty sword of yours." He glanced towards the Master Sword in its sheathe strapped to Link's back. "But I can't let you join us as a another fighter if I am not entirely sure you'll be killing for their safety and not to end those monsters!"

Link jerked back and returned Rusl's speech with a frosty look.

The older Ordonian stared back, but soon looked away. "I'm sorry, but you know what I mean don't you? I can count on maybe two or three of the others to act as they should, but that's still not enough for a group this size. And monsters aren't the only thing we have to worry about out in the fields either!"

The Chosen Hero gave him an inquisitive look before returning his attention to the packing. He didn't notice a shape detaching itself from his shadow and heading towards a nearby alley.

Rusl took a deep breath. "You never talked much before Link. It's still the reason why no one in the village even knows your family name or where it was you came from. But this is different, I need your verbal assurance that you will help me keep these people alive just in case something happens."

The farmer-turned-Hero blanched at the request from his mentor. It had been a long time since anyone had ever actually tried making him talk, or even asking him too, and suddenly he did not know how to react to that.

The hardened gaze of Rusl was hard to avoid, and it looked like the Hero was actually going to speak.

Such as it was, Midna felt the need to intervene.

"He will, don't worry." She called out to them as she walked slowly towards them. It still felt odd to actually walk on solid ground again. "I'll make sure of it."

The look of panic and shock on Link's face suddenly made revealing herself to this Rusl character worth it.

"And who, may I ask, might you be?" He asked, a concerned frown adorning his face as he apparently took notice of her blue skin.

Midna gave him a sinful smile. "A concerned party and a former employer of Link's services."

"Really?" He said, his eyes darting to Link who had caught on and had schooled his face so as to look impassive. "And how does this concern you then?"

Really, he was a good man, and a respectable teacher according to what she could gather, but his tact could do with some work.

Midna's smile became devious. "Let us just say that after having saved my life several times in the course of a few months, hearing his abilities questioned leaves me, shall we say...dissatisfied."

He still did not look all that satisfied with her answer.

"How did you two meet?" He asked warily. Of course, Link had never mentioned her to anyone, so his caution was not without due cause.

"Hmm," she said disinterestedly, looking up from where she was examining a tarp on a nearby cart, "Oh, a dungeon."

There was a moment of silence as she let Rusl process that information. Midna tapped her chin thoughtfully as she pretended to not care of his reaction.

Despite how risky it may have been, revealing herself was turning out to be quite fun. She was wearing a dark brown cloak over her regular clothing, hiding the markings of her tribe from the man. And she had let down her red hair too, letting it fall over her shoulders and drape over her face just a bit.

She suspected she must have looked mad to the man before her, but she had tired of his attitude with Link and had decided that now was a good time to walk among the people of Hyrule once more.

"I see then," Rusl said curtly, "Link, I'll see you later. And it was a pleasure meeting you miss..."

"Midna." She offered, "You may call me Midna. No 'miss' or anything, please."

The man looked all too ready to agree with her on that judging by how he narrowed his eyes at her tone of voice.

"Alright then. You better go to your cart, I imagine we'll be leaving soon."

He didn't wait to see if she would leave, but he did. He left his horse with Link, who suddenly looked confused as to what to do with this new animal in his care.

Midna turned to the Hero. "I think he likes me."

Link snorted and jabbed his thumb back, telling her to follow him. He led the horse away from the loading and unloading areas to where Epona was tethered and tied it there as well.

Midna whistled softly as she looked out at the entire caravan from atop the barrel Link was sitting on earlier. The amount of people going on this trip had not seemed nearly as much from when she was in Link's shadows. The very thought excited her.

She felt a tugging at the hem of her robe. She knew who it was and what for, but the princess feigned ignorance just so she could keep looking.

She spotted a group of armored men a little bit farther from the mess of carts and people; they looked to be doing nothing of particular as they stood side by side, watching the shouting and the working with bored and irritated faces. One of them spotted her, standing on the barrel, pointed and then muttered something to his friends.

The group of soldiers looked at her, and she waved and smiled cheerily, showing off her blue skin like a prize as the wind swept up and exposed her long legs.

The tugging turned into a pull, and suddenly she had to balance herself so that she did not fall from her platform.

"Would you quit it mutt?" She hissed, ignoring the look he was giving her, "At least let me enjoy this. Shadows knows that I've spent too much time hiding since my body returned to normal."

But Link did not quit it, and in fact practically grabbed her from her perch upon the barrel and set her on the ground as if she were a child.

"Tch!" She turned away.

The Hero spun her around so that she faced him. Midna was glad to see how serious he was, it reminded her of their times in the temples and dungeons.

"Fine, fine, I'll tell you later alright?" She said, spotting one of the caravan's other bodyguards make his way through the crowd. "We've got company."

The blond's eyes flickered in the direction she was looking before he nodded, appeased by the answer.

"I'll tell you this though," she said, grinning wickedly so as to give the impression of something else to any onlookers, "I need your help."

There was a definite change in Link's whole posture as she said that. He seemed ready all of a sudden, prepared for anything that might come at that moment. His eyes were sharper, taking on a dangerous gleam to them Midna had grown to love in her time with him. The hazardous vibes he sent out were incredibly and stupidly attractive.

Even so, that excitement was tempered by the thought of just what she had done. Indignity gnawed at her gut, along with a smidge of guilt.

"Pardon me, sir, miss," said the sword for hire as he finally reached the odd pair, "but I couldn't help but notice that you're a new addition to our group, and that you aren't with your cart." Here he paused and began to appraise her appearance. "Are you sure you don't need help?"

It was probably supposed to sound professional, but to Midna, who had lived and breathed royalty and courtly manners before the whole fiasco with Zant, it sounded more cute than anything.

This guy -no the entire lot of sellswords he was part of- they had nothing on Link when he was serious. These were mere dogs out exploring their (admittedly large) backyard. There was a reason that when people went traveling, they prepared for wolves and not these kinds of mutts.

Link had moved in front of her, blocking her partly from the man who had approached him. The forest-born man made no threatening motion, but she imagined that the spooked look on the bodyguards face meant Link was ready and willing to do so.

The redhead decided to take pity on the poor boy. "It's okay, I'll just travel with my friend here." She slapped the Hero's back encouragingly, "There's no need to worry about me, my good sir. We've known each other for a while."

The bodyguard looked from Link to her and then back again. He sighed and grumbled something that she didn't hear, but could imagine what it was.

To say the least, Midna was pleased with how the day was going.

* * *

A sudden case of loud hacking and coughing disturbed the somewhat peaceful trip of the caravan.

"Ugh, this is horrible." She said as she wiped her mouth on the back of her sleeve. "I'm never riding a horse ever again, you hear me?" She whispered into the ear of her partner. "I just don't have the hips for this."

It hurt in all the wrong places, she thought. You were supposed to walk around on the stupid horse, kill some monsters with your damn bow or sword, and then skin the remains of the best carcass and make sure that you boiled whatever water you found for later.

Traveling in a group it seemed, was much more different. And not in a good way. For one thing, there was the speed at which the thing was moving. The ox's and great horses pulling the carts were not very fast, but Link had explained her that they weren't built for speed, but instead for endurance and strength.

As it was, they were only that much closer to the Great Bridge of Eldin. Midna guessed that it would take them at least two weeks to reach the incredible structure, and that was discounting the possibility of some kind of setback along the way.

The shorter path crossing Lake Hylia had been voted out due to the pincer like path it lead onto; despite bravado and boasts, no one was willing to put themselves in such a scarily weak position. There had even been rumors of the bridge over the lake falling into disarray or something due to some kind of battle that had taken place.

Link had the decency to look at least a little ashamed when he was told of this.

The caravan had resolved to take a path around the stone passages leading to the Great Bridge, one that would take longer, but was safer according to Rusl and a driver with a missing ear. They would be come out near an old mine entrance, and then cross the bridge from there.

The amount of safety precautions going into this trip alone was easily more than twice as many as she and Link had taken in their quest. There had simply come a point where safety only became a hindrance.

"Excuse me, then Miss Midna," said a man riding up beside Epona, "but you are free to hitch a ride on any of the carts with space."

Midna growled for the umpteenth time. She appreciated courtesy and chivalry just like any other princess would, but eventually it just became patronizing and idiotic.

Nonetheless, sensibility won out and for the eighth time that day the princess politely declined the man's wonderful offer. She even added in a charming smile for his benefit, and patted herself on the back for not acting like a petulant child.

Link craned to see her wave bye towards the man, but he could not keep the smirk of his face.

"Not a word," she said, seeing his look, "he didn't deserve me to treat him like a dumb sap."

The blond man rolled his eyes and turned back towards the front.

Midna hit him in the back of his ribs. She wasn't even sure he felt that until he 'accidentally' elbowed her back.

In spite of the blow, the Twilight Princess felt strangely disappointed that that was all the fight he'd put up.

Up in the front of the caravan was Rusl, who had one of the best pair of eyes out of the entire group. Even as he scratched his ear in a way eerily similar to how Link did, the man kept up his guard at all times. Soon enough, he caught Midna staring at him.

The princess waved to the Ordonian, taking perfect care to do it in such a way to just show off her slender arms and their blue tinge as much as possible.

The man's expression remained stony and turned back to scouting.

"So what are the chances of Rusl ever asking for the rest of the story of-"

* * *

A shadow creature locked her gaze with its strange red eyes. Suddenly she was looking at a mirror of herself. Whatever definite details there were in the expression of this shadow didn't stay that way very long as it took out a sword and striked at her. She did the same, and was surprised to note its blade did not even dent.

There was no time to think as suddenly the shadow fired a bomb arrow at her.

She recounted the incantation for Din's Fire then, hoping to explode the arrow before it hit her. At the same time though, the shadow did the same. It spoke with a wispy voice, but she caught the scent of the familiar magic.

But his was stronger for some reason. It suffocated hers and soon enough a wall of fire was rushing her.

She ran to the tree in the middle of the room, leapt up, and swung herself onto its branches and climbed swiftly, away from the reach of the flames.

But suddenly there was no fire anymore, and suddenly, hidden within the flames this entire time, came the dark twin. It leapt from the ground, jumping higher than any human possible and was suddenly in her face, barely and inch away.

She raised her sword, startled, but was suddenly falling backwards, the dark twin having kicked off from her chest, and cleaved it in two along the way.

What the hell was this thing doing at the bottom of Lake Hylia?, she wondered, and then died.

* * *

Control, control, control!

"-how we met?" Midna finished, forcing the weak sensation in her extremities down.

Link glanced at her hands, which suddenly she noticed were gripping his shoulders far too tightly. She let go quickly, as if burned, but did not apologize.

Her wolf frowned before he turned back to the road, and shrugged.

"He seems like a nice man," Midna said truthfully, "A bit soft but then again, so were you before little Ilia was taken."

She traced the nape of his neck with her finger, watching as he crooned the slightest the amount as she ran it down the skin. The hair lifted and she could see the goosebumps forming.

Her chest hurt, she realized. It hurt like never before in her life, suddenly so sharp and soul-sucking that she felt like she was going to die.

Breathing was becoming more and more of a task. The air felt steamy and sludge-like as she swallowed it more and more.

_'Is this...is this what it's like to be in love?'_ she wondered. _'Is this heartbreak?'_

Then why the hell was her cloak getting wet? Those weren't tears, that was-

"Blood." she whispered, looking at the hand she'd just taken out from under her clothes.

Link's ears pricked at that.

She grabbed him by the ears and forced him to keep looking forward, muttering something unintelligible. She couldn't have him finding out about this. The whole caravan would go crazy if they thought someone had injured one of their own.

Besides, she knew what caused this. It hadn't been a silent arrow from a hidden monster or even an attack from one of the other travelers.

She looked at her hand again, noting how there no longer was any blood there.

Even her cloak looked normal. Not even a speck or a stain left.

It had never been there to begin with, she realized.

That moment, the wind itself seemed to laugh at her.

At sundown, the group had decided to rest for the day. They had not reached the more difficult terrain just yet, the veteran travelers explained, so it was best not to rush.

As the various groups of people set up their quarters and their fires, Link had decided to head off a little distance, away from the noise and the distractions of civilization.

Midna followed on foot, grateful to the man for insisting on not bringing Epona with him. Her hips would not have survived another five minutes on that horse. Travel by wolf was much better, in her opinion. At least then she could flick him across the muzzle and not feel like she was abusing one of nature's gifts.

Which is why, when she was sure they were out sight of the caravan, she immediately began to levitate. She welcomed the weightless feeling, and began to gently knead the muscles in her legs. The faint burning sensation flared for a bit, but she she used her magic to tone it down.

The green-clad man grunted and threw himself down onto a patch of grass, sighing as he inhaled as deeply as he could.

The very land around them seemed to pulse at his actions.

She swallowed. Even Hyrule itself loved this man, then.

Suddenly, he was up, and staring at Midna, any vestige of peace gone. Once again, he had foregone any sense of normalcy for the powerful aura of the Chosen Hero.

The Princess smiled cynically at the man, before she floated down to his side, and laid down in the grass. "You can't ever leave good enough alone, can't you? Then again, that's the thing with you light dwellers, always so mushy. It's sickening."

There was a moment and then the Hero cracked a smile.

"At least your sense of humor has improved. Your taste in women, though-"

The man shoved her, and she cackled as she caught the light blush on his cheeks.

"Shades and nothings! You're just so easy!"

However, suddenly he was no longer blushing, and once again the masterful warrior who had proven himself worthy of being the bearer of Courage.

Her laugh died in her throat. She was painfully aware of the memories now. This man had died countless times for the sake of this land, to say nothing of his countless predecessors.

Maybe that was the price, she wondered, for all that power of his. Nothing short of death would be appropriate for all the life they saved.

"I...I met the goddesses mutt. Back there, during the fight with Ganondorf."

There was a moment of silence, which was good in her opinion. She wouldn't be able to finish if anyone interrupted the two of them.

"The goddesses, they...my shadow, they were wonderful. It- them- no, everything was perfect. I could have spent the rest of my life there as the lowest life form in all the realms and be satisfied no matter what."

She realized she was crying. Everything she was saying was true though. The goddesses were wonderful beings. Everything about them was so utterly perfect and magnificent that just thinking about them made her tremble. Her very being ached for that place again, for the feeling of life where the living were just enchanted puppets.

"Din, Nayru, and Farore," she whispered, "they talked to me like I was their equal. They showed up as these three women, you know. They complimented me, Link. They helped me stand up. Farore even kissed me!"

Too perfect, however, too nice, and too neat. The love and the sheer adoration the goddesses showed was simply too much. And when Link came into the picture suddenly it was no longer pretty or attainable, but a dream of what she and her people would never have.

But he didn't have to know that.

"They offered me a chance," she continued, the words she had used against the goddesses coming back and giving her strength, "they told that I can make it good again. They said...they would forgive my tribe's sin."

Sin. What a disgusting word. It made her want to vomit.

"I just have to, prove myself, they said. Prove myself!" she repeated, suddenly a pot of anger on its boiling point. "I was cursed and cast out here into the Light Realm alone! I had killed my own people for the sake of reclaiming my thrown! I killed your people! And they said I had to prove myself!"

Control! Screamed her mind at her, Remain in control!

But she did not want to be in control. She had been in control since she had confronted the goddesses. Suppressing her instincts had done nothing but worry her wolf needlessly, and releasing them for those brief moments in Zelda's company had given her direction and advice.

Link, she noted, had found a cattail and was now chewing on its end thoughtfully as he stared at her.

"They didn't say how, of course." She spat out bitterly. "I had to ask Zelda what I should do. Her advice? Tell you and talk to the light spirits. I could have figured out that!"

Untrue, but her rage could not be tempered by who was to blame. Only Link could survive her wrath sometimes, and that was only because he be so pitiable at times it was pathetic.

She pounded her fists into the ground, staring up at the night sky with a scathing look, as if blaming the moon for all the misfortunes as of late.

"So," she finished lamely, "will you help me?"

The answer came immediately. A comforting gloved hand on her shoulder.

"Good dog." She whispered, drained and miserable at what she had just done. An uncertain feeling took lodge in her chest.

Link merely whined.

She was unsurprised when once again for the second time that day, a memory that never happened squirmed its way past her defenses.

**End Chapter 4**

**

* * *

**Author Notes: There's this DS game called The World Ends With You that has blown away all my expectations concerning RPG games. It has quite possibly one of the best stories in a video game I have ever seen, and there are so many little things to find out in it, just to get the full picture, that it pretty much occupies so much of my free time. Check it out, you really won't regret it.

Anyways, now that I'm done gushing about TWEWY, I get to talk about this chapter. Yay!

So, I'm still waiting on my beta (who shall remain anonymous until they say it's okay to reveal themselves, you know, privacy and whatnot) to send me the edited chapter, but this is it. Rusl's going through some weird PTSD and Midna is manipulating Link in a way that just might be worse than what the goddesses are doing. She's such a bitch isn't she? Of course, that's why I like her character.

The two memory scenes are from when you're fighting Them in Majora's Mask, and when you're facing Dark Link in Ocarina of Time, crazy wacko that he is. It's my personal opinion that by at least halfway through the MM game, Link is insane and just doing it because he can't remember what the hell he was doing before he met Skull Kid in that forest. He's a crazy little nutjob, I believe. And Ocarina of Time Link is just so disillusioned with the rest of the world that even fighting what could essentially be himself from another world doesn't faze him at all. He's the prelude to MM Link!

Yeah, so please leave a review if you liked it, what you liked about it, and so on. And also please a review if you didn't like and why and so on.

Ciao,

Quantum Cat


	5. Chapter 5: The Leash

Disclaimer: I do not own Legend of Zelda. This is purely for fun. I'm not even sure this disclaimer is even necessary in the first place either.

Summary: Midna's realized the goddesses have been playing Groundhog's Day with Link's entire Hero journey. This of course, ticks her off and she soon challenges the goddesses for the right to let Link live his own life and die his own death. Zelda finds out, but proves that she isn't all sparkles when she points out that she herself has a vested interest in preserving the Hero as he is; nonetheless she concedes Midna the reigns to the man as she now has a kingdom to recover. The Resistance bids each other farewell as they each decide to return to life. On a caravan to Kakariko Village, Midna finally reveals herself to Rusl, who is...less than impressed. Later, Midna tells Link of an altered version of her encounter with the goddesses, something right up his alley to firmly place him near her for the rest of this adventure.

* * *

**Chapter 5 The Leash**

Her mind shifted back into place. Wisps of the memory grasped at her frayed edges.

Midna tried to remember how to smile, as she began to stand. The show must go on, the audience must not be allowed to disbelieve.

"Well now, I guess we should probably head back." She said, glancing down at her partner. "Rusl must think I've ensnared you with my wicked wiles by now."

She smiled weakly, and not just for show this time. Link would probably think it would be because of the conversation just now.

Nayru . . . damn it all. Just damn it all.

Threads of power brushed against her skin, but Midna held in the shudder. Time for that later, she told herself, always another Time.

Link looked none the wiser to her internal state. He rose from his position on the ground and brushed his backside of any dirt. He smiled at her, that stupid enigmatic smile of his that made strangers think him dumb.

It looked stupid. And Midna said so.

And he replied with a sweet whistling tune as he began to walk back to camp.

The Twilight Princess did not miss the lightness in his steps.

The hunt was on then. And here she was, holding the leash to the fiercest Beast the goddesses unleashed upon the realms.

_'Me and Link against the world.'_

She paused.

_'I like those odds.'_

* * *

As they arrived back to the camp, Link was told of when and where to report for guard duty. There was some annoyed grunting involved that probably translated to a entire exchange of arguments and counterarguments in male language, but Midna did not bother with the specifics.

To her dismay, dinner had only been a strange kind of broth-like soup. The leaders had said that though they had plenty of food stocked up, most of it was intended for those in Kakariko Village. The village's food supply had suffered since all imports and exports stopped since the curtain of Twilight fell, and were only now surviving on the goodwill of the Gorons and Malo Mart.

Midna recalled the scarily brilliant child who successfully set up his own business with a Castle Town branch. The same one who charged Link for a shield when he had shown up with pieces of his old Ordon shield in his arm. For some reason, associating goodwill with that made Midna want to smile.

In the end, everyone got treated to around two bowls of what they were told was soup. It didn't fill Midna's stomach, and she had to endure hours of pointless conversation with people about her skin color, what her parents were, and so on and so forth. Interspecies romance seemed to be a fun thing to talk about in the Light Realm. Her favorite story had been about the Hero of Time being smitten with the Princess of Destiny at first, only to be swayed over by a Zora princess' love.

As she observed the interchange between the spinsters and some maidens, Midna idly wondered if someone had perhaps spiked the soup. Such flights of fantasy couldn't possibly be the norm.

"Pardon me, ladies." Came the gentle voice of Rusl, standing away from the group. "Is Miss Midna nearby?"

The redhead raised an eyebrow, her interest piqued. Rusl was actually staring at her right now.

The women turned to look at the farmer, some noting the sword on his back and the reassuring smile on the man's face. They looked between him and Midna, whose lips pulled up into a graceful smile. Some of the old crones looked like the Solstice had come early; she saw quite clearly the tales of the exotic beauty and the farmer birthing in their minds.

Wrong farmer, but close enough.

"Evening Rusl," Midna said, "Anything I can help you with?"

The redhead noticed how he he grimaced for a split second, at that. Interesting, she noted, but not altogether surprising.

"Ah yes," he said, " you see, I've been wondering if we could talk about what happened earlier. . ."

Some of the women noticed how uncomfortable he looked as he trailed off, causing many of them to hide their shy smiles behind their hands. The poor man had no idea what kind of fantasies he was fueling.

"Ah, you mean the thing with Link?" Midna asked, innocent confusion coming as easily to her as any other expression.

The women gasped. Another man! Oh, how scandalous!

Rusl had the grace to avoid eye contact with the Twili. "Yes." He answered curtly.

"Hmm . . ."

This was cruel of her, but it was oh so fun and too tempting an opportunity to pass up. As much as she - barely!- sympathized with him, Rusl needed to get over what he'd done. Link had done everything he had and gone through so much more.

* * *

_The mask rooted itself. Magical feelers stabbed his brain as suddenly a Deku child's spirit began to supplant, sap seeping in through his eyes, and -oh Nayru, it hurts! - and. . . and. . . and-_

_And suddenly there's this feeling of overflowing, followed by overwhelming terror, as he feels the spirit of the Deku child he knows that inhabits the mask begin to claw and fight desperately for a chance to come back to life, to the Deku princess he has a crush on, to his daddy. . . ._

_And then Link realizes too late that he's no longer in control as he stares into the smooth surface of the -_

* * *

Midna clamped the memory down. Unwilling and more than a little afraid of finding out what happened next.

What had she been doing again? Oh right, talking to Rusl. That irritating, fetid, little peasant who could not-

Midna bit her lip, and rubbed her tired eyes._ 'No, that's wrong. That's not true. I'm just tired.'_

Who knows, maybe if she said it enough times, she'd actually believe it.

Suddenly she felt sick. Her stomach churned from what she hoped was the soup. Rusl was just acting overprotective again, she told herself. It wasn't his fault he didn't have all the facts. He was just a good man who didn't know when to give up.

The Twilight Princess sighed bitterly._ 'Dammit.'_

"C'mon then." She grunted unladylike, standing up and walking through the group of female peers. "Sorry ladies, but I think this conversation won't exactly be . . . proper. If you'll excuse me?"

Rusl stared at her as she left the group and approached him. Behind her, he saw the wide eyes of of young girls trail after her.

"Tell me," he muttered as she drew closer, "do you derive pleasure from my discomfort? Or are you just this spiteful with everyone?"

Midna smirked and laughed prettily for effect. "Neither, my birdbrained friend," she lied, "On the contrary, I have nothing but the utmost respect for you. Link has told me quite a lot about you and Ordon."

Rusl blinked. "Really? He asked owlishly.

"No, not really. Link doesn't talk, I thought you knew that."

Rusl scowled, and Midna was once again struck with how similar it was to how Link looked back when they first met. The man really seemed to be the closest thing to a father the Hero had.

"Yes, well, I seem to have forgotten that little tidbit haven't I?" Rusl regrouped, "Probably in light of the revelation that at one point in the past year, Link had been in a godforsaken dungeon."

She snorted. _'Godforsaken? Yeah, right.'_

"He stormed Hyrule Castle by himself, Rusl, does being in a dungeon really strike you as fanciful?"

"It does when I suddenly find out that he apparently met his mistress in said dungeon yes."

Midna choked, her next verbal barb dying in her throat as Rusl's words nestled comfortably into her mind. The man gave her a small smile that didn't reach his eyes as he caught her reaction.

They had already walked far enough away from the group of women so as to not catch any wayward ears looking for some caravan gossip. They were near one of the larger fires that had been set up, the one that hadn't been used to make dinner. Several of the mercenaries surrounded the fire; some were talking, some staring at the fire, and some just passing around an animal skin container that held something Midna was willing to bet was not water.

Regardless, few paid attention to them as the pair sat down on some propped stones. The mercenaries were too tired and worn to chase after exotic women.

Even so, her sudden choking fit did catch the notice of some of the younger men. Even her distracted state, she couldn't help but idly wonder if some of them had even learned to shave yet.

Her chokes turned to a bitter laugh.

"That's rich!" she said.

Rusl noticed but said nothing about the sour tone. "Care to elaborate why?"

The redhead smiled and dabbed at the corner of her eye, wiping away a tear that had come out. "Can you truly imagine anyone taking up a mistress during that whole fuck-up of an adventure he had?"

"Language!" He said sharply.

"Fuck-up!" Midna repeated, smirking at the scowl he had on his face.

Rusl clicked his tongue disapprovingly but didn't push the matter. "Then what are you to him?" He said quietly, almost as if to himself.

Midna turned to the fire and ran a hand through her hair, grimacing as she felt the grime from the days efforts in her scarlet locks. She silently vowed to find a proper place to wash in Kakariko. Maybe the spring would do.

"Miss Midna?"

"Hrmm? Oh yeah, that, right . . . umm, hell if I know really." She replied distractedly, hoping the man would just drop it. The question brought up uncomfortable thoughts.

"Something tells me you do know. Really."

Midna spied in him in the corner of her eye, trying to look disapproving and imposing in his bloodless armor with his clean-shaven face. It was only then she took notice that the man had some bandaging around his ears.

"Nice look on you," she commented off-handedly, "Did you run afoul some bad earwax or something?"

Rusl looked irritated at the question, but wasn't distracted. "You're dodging the question, Miss Midna."

Midna patted him on the cheek patronizingly, and stood up. "We're just partners, Mister Rusl. And partners look out for each other, so you rest easy, will -

* * *

_The castle was huge by any standards when normal-sized. When you suddenly were the size of a Minish though, it was a veritable architectural monstrosity. The ceiling arched over what seemed like miles above him, accentuating the beautiful floral pattern decorating the ceiling._

_He could never fathom why someone would go to the trouble of putting something so beautiful on the ceiling. It wasn't like someone would be looking up there for any reason._

_The marble floor stretched out like a cold smooth desert in front of him. From his vantage point of a crack in the wall, it looked deserted. Of course, that meant nothing when most threats could easily overrun and step on him like some bug._

_"It's Vaati, boy," said Ezlo from on top of his head, "that little demon is. . . .well, be ready for pretty much anything."_

_It was cold comfort to Link, who was feeling as if nothing short of having the Picori Blade through the heart that damned Minish monster was going to let him feel any sort of comfort. And even then, that wasn't a surety._

_With no threat in sight, Link bolted from the crack, scuttling across the floor as he rapidly began searching for his next destination. The throne room had many nooks and crannies to explore, and he was determined to find the right one._

_The absurdity of his situation made Link want to cry. He'd just been a boy before this whole thing. Sure he had helped out with smithing every now and then, but back then the most adventurous thing he'd ever done was invite Zelda for a sleep over without telling her father. He was barely twelve! How was he roped into killing Vaati?_

_A cat came around the corner, prompting Link to forget his thoughts as he noticed the ethereal gleam in its eyes._

_The cat spotted him, and for a moment the neither Link nor Ezlo made a move, thinking that maybe the cat was going to go away. They were not assured when suddenly the cat's eyes flashed changing the color form green to red._

_Link didn't need any magical experience to know that red generally meant something bad. Which was why, he turned tail and began to run. The thing was though, he was Minish sized twelve year old kid, with a magic cap and shiny toothpick of a sword. He wasn't made for speed._

_Cats on the other hand, were._

_It caught up to him easily, but Link dodged to the side, hoping to lose his chaser by zig-zagging. But he was only twelve, he couldn't possibly manage to dodge far enough._

_The cat's paw came from his right, swatting him like some toy. Link fell and gasped in pain, but did not give up. Drawing the Picori Blade, and rolling into his back, Link tried to jump up and stab the damned thing in the eye._

_He never had a chance, as suddenly both paws pressed down on him, batting the sword away easily. It wasn't enough to kill him, he realized, just enough to hurt._

_Who was screaming, he wondered in a daze. He couldn't possibly be-_

_"Link! Link! Come on, kid! Get up, get up, get up! Use the Cane!"_

_Ezlo. Right. His hat. No. Minish, right?_

_And then he felt absurdly stuffed, followed by a series of faint snaps_

* * *

-you? You look like you're about to hyperventilate."

The feeling of having her lungs squished into paste filled her. Midna's vision became blurry as her body suddenly tried to remember the feeling of being whole once again. Her arms throbbed and felt like lead, and she almost noticeably sagged from the imaginary weight of a beast more than a hundred times heavier than her.

Her breathing became strangled as blood bubbled up her throat.

Outwardly, Midna closed her eyes and sighed dramatically. Inwardly, she was screaming and swearing in a manner very unbecoming of a princess.

_'You're losing your touch, goddess,' _Midna taunted,_ 'That bastard son of ReDead Zant hurt me more than this.'_

As if in response her taunt, the earth suddenly moved. She fell to her knees from the sudden shift in the ground, and hissed as flicks of fire landed on her arm. With naught but a thought, she extinguished the fire, smothering it with her cloak. Small burns decorated her arm, dotting her skin with flecks of dark blue that stung at the touch.

Suddenly, there came a shout, followed by the atavistic screams that mortals had long since developed through evolution. This wasn't the kind of fear you get when jumping from a high place, this was the kind you get when suddenly you realize that all those stories about there being nothing scary about the dark are wrong. Everything was scary about the dark.

Especially when the dark was trying to just _eat_ you.

The voice sounded eerily familiar, but she couldn't place it from where. The Twilight Princess shot to her feet and broke into a run, straight towards the origin of the sound. If someone were willing to pay enough attention, one could even say that she was running on air even.

Soon she heard the shouts and orders of men right behind her. Rusl's voice cut clearly through them all as he sprinted to catch up with her; "Secure the other passengers!" "Put out that damn fire, boy, you're making us targets!" "Get your goddamn pants on already, or you're going to be missing something important in the morning!"

Midna smiled. Rusl was good people.

People passed her by as she got closer to the scene. None of them bothered to tell her what it was, which was just as well. Shadow knows what they would do if they bothered to think too hard about what they saw.

That scream rang out again, flipping all kinds of switches in Midna's brain. The sliver of fear she'd been feeling since the start festered and grew with the sound. Goosebumps ran down her arms as she tried to avoid thinking of how similar to a ReDead it was. It was not nearly as paralyzing, but the same depth of emotion and desolate nothing that begged for assistance.

The night wind had stilled as she reached the center of commotion. Wooden stools were upended everywhere, and bowls strewn about with their contents splashed onto the ground. Leaves swirled about, even though there was no wind. The fires here had splashed onto the grass nearby, and now, the Hyrule Field was feeding the fire that had warmed them.

Two people were on the ground, one moving ever so slightly, and (Midna grimaced) another unmoving one whose knees should not have been bent that way. The still body had a crossbow in its hand, and a sword a few feet away from the other. Leaning down, Midna took care not to move him in case of anything else, and tried to remember how to tell if a Light dweller was alive.

_'A pulse,' _Midna remembered, as she thought of when Link taught about this, _'Now, where do I find the pulse? What were those places? Dammit!'_

A rough calloused hand grabbed the body's hand and exposed the wrist, pressing two fingers to it. A couple of seconds passed before a sigh of relief was heard, followed by the calloused hand letting the limp one fall.

"He's alive. For now." Came the voice of Rusl.

"Then let's go," Midna said as she got ready to chase after the screams once again. She was stopped as Rusl grabbed her shoulder and held her firm.

"I need you to get him somewhere safe." He said, looking far more demanding than she had ever seen him.

Midna looked down the still-alive man. She almost sneered as she felt resentment for him being like this. "No."

"Go. Now." Rusl obviously thought there was going to be no argument when he used that tone of voice.

The twili was impressed, though she'd never admit it. The man actually seemed to hold some sort of commanding presence. It was enough to give Midna enough pause to consider telling him where he could stick his sword, but not enough to sway her even the slightest. She opened her mouth to retort, but the man did not even wait for a reply as he was already off in the direction of shouts and screams.

The redhead narrowed her eyes at his retreating back, something prickling at the back of her mind as she felt a faint sense of unease in seeing the man so easily go off to confront danger.

She shook it off, not willing to be participant to the Ordonian's ridiculous orders.

After a quick survey of her environment, Midna nodded to herself once and then melted in to the shadows.

An unbidden predatory smile came to her.

Traveling through shadows was always a different experience from floating. While floating, you still had resistance in the air, you still had to concentrate, however minimally, to keep afloat. It was like you were in perpetual mid-leap, at the apex of your jump, when you were always at your fastest, and always at your highest.

Traveling through the shadows was an entirely different experience. There was no resistance, and there was no perspective. Perspective was for when you had three dimensions. As a shadow, you could 'see' but you could not See. Midna could sluice through any resistance or barrier as if it weren't there, and play merry hell with the minds of skittish Chosen Hero's. She was perfectly aware of the world around her, even more so than if she were solid, but she was just as capable of affecting it as Gorons could swim.

She darted from shadow to shadow, passing Rusl easily, and noticed that the screams kept going on. This struck her as odd, but she dismissed it as unimportant until she took account of the situation.

Soon, however, the roar of something much more dangerous and far more comforting cut the screams short.

Whatever it was, it was suddenly realizing that there it wasn't the only big and terrifying monstrosity here, and regretting even coming most likely. Link didn't like to play with strangers, after all.

A mad cackle left her throat as she got closer to the scene. _'Link plays rough, little monster. He plays so rough some times, I have to put him in time out.'_

The redhead stopped for a second, as what she thought to herself impressed itself on her.

The former imp snorted. _'I really am going insane. Wonderful.'_

She couldn't bring herself to care. Auru had said something about it, during one of Link's sudden but inevitable bouts towards ale. Something about sanity being fleeting or something like that. You tend to lose track of the little things over time.

Another bestial roar with a human voice, followed by the faint sound of something spraying, and Midna smiled. She slowed down her approach, quite content with the knowledge that Link had already killed it.

But he hadn't.

When she got to the source of the commotion, she was prepared to see Link probably wiping the Master Sword on some cloth or his tunic to get the blood out. She was not expecting to see Link holding his sword strong and steady through the stab he'd made a little below the beasts neck. Which just so happened to be a Shadow Messenger.

Midna suddenly felt like Darbus had just sucker-punched her.

It was struggling weakly against Link, even though he would barely came up to the monsters waist at their full height. Luminescent blueish green blood seeped out of several nasty-looking wounds, and Midna saw that one of the Messenger's hands had been cleanly sliced off. Thick viscous lifeblood oozed slowly out of the stump, forming a small puddle beneath beasts back.

Rusl arrived at that point. As soon as he got a good look at the scene, Midna swore she saw something die in his eyes as he took in the sight of Link, that cheerful little farmboy he'd seen grow up, snarl incoherently like some animal as the Shadow Messenger tried to swipe at the pest on its chest.

They were in a clearing Midna realized. Mercenaries surrounded them, some of them trembling, some of them not. They were eying the display cautiously, she noted. They looked like they were evaluating which was the bigger, more immediate threat. The redhead licked her lips as she the hostile vibe in the air intensified as Link spared the mercenaries a glance that said it all.

_Come on then, I dare you._

Deciding now would be a good time to show up, Midna quietly emerged from behind a lonesome tree. Then she came around and faced the clearing, panting and muttering for good effect. She couldn't look like she'd cruised her way over here, no matter how true it was.

She approached the group of men, each of them carefully lowering their weapons enough to convey peaceful intentions, but not enough to convey trust. Good.

As she got closer, the Shadow Messenger in its writhing and pitiful yelps caught sight of her in the moonlight. Almost instantly, its shrieking restarted, this time fueled by pain and terror and plenty of other things. The shriek sent many of the mercenaries to the ground with its intensity, but Midna was pleased to notice Rusl only gritting his teeth and covering one of his bandaged ears.

Link kicked it in the plated face, hard. The monsters head snapped upwards as the boot collided with it, ceasing the shrieking for just a second.

Which was all she needed, for her to extend her magicks out beyond the confines of her skin and wrap around its head, quieting the beast's voice once and for all.

Noticing the shadowy veil covering the beast now, Lin sent her a grateful look, which she replied with a dismissive wave. Little favors among partners like them were never collected, she had once reasoned.

This only left the Shadow Messenger to concentrate on however, and Midna was certain that all the thoughts that came with it would be anything but pleasant.

The princess pretended not to notice fading lyrical laughs of the goddesses ringing in her ears.

The Shadow Messenger clawed at its face weakly. It's stump of a hand flailed uselessly as it tried to grasp the tendrils of magic around its head.

Midna and Link shared a look, an unspoken message passing between them. This wasn't the usual kind of behavior for a Shadow Messenger, they knew. Sure, they would sometimes bait Link out with one or two beasts, but they'd never let one of their own suffer so much damage before ambushing them.

She knew Link wanted to just end this thing's miserable life and be done with it. The Messenger was a threat, a hostile creature capable of ruining more than a few lives if they left it as it was. Even if it was acting strangely, that was only more reason to finish it while they still had the chance. If any more were nearby, they both knew the caravan would fall to pieces from the panic and fear.

_'Dammit all,'_ Midna swore, cautiously observing the Messenger's behavior,_ 'dammit. We've made peace with our demons concerning these abominations. We've shed our tears already, so why couldn't you have left it at that. Why bring them into it.'_

_Because goddesses don't need to play fair, little Princess. _Whispered the cynical part of her. _And you're a fool for expecting they would. Their game, their rules._

It was strange looking at the Shadow Messenger like this. Before it had always been in the midst of a bloody massacre, or preparing a trap. It had never seemed so clinical until now.

The Shadow Messenger caught sight of her again, but this time it barely had the energy to lift its hands towards. The intent was clear.

Midna swallowed the lump in her throat.

Its chest heaved. To some it might have looked like it was laughing, to others it might look like it would be going into convulsions. To Midna, who knew the goddesses would predict how she'd react, it looked like it was sobbing.

"Down boy," Midna said, motioning for Link to back away, "Don't give me that look, mutt. Get that oversized nail out of him, and back away."

Nobody missed what she had called the Shadow Messenger. Out of the corner of her eye, Midan saw one of the mercenaries peek at the beasts crotch. It was so ludicrous and inappropriate she wanted laugh.

Link looked rebellious, but she gave him her best I-know-something-you-don't-so-shut-up-and-agree-with-me glare. She'd had a lot of practice with that one in their romps around Hyrule, especially earlier on. The blond man let out an audible growl that made the hairs on the back of her neck stand up, but she held firm.

Finally, the man let sighed, relaxing his whole body almost instantly as he transformed from the Hero to an annoyed pet. He was still the deadliest thing around, but no longer was he leading the situation. Grasping the Master Sword still embedded in the beasts chest, Link let out a small grunt as he removed the proverbial pike holding the Shadow Messenger down. Luminescent blood futilely tried to stick to the blade, but it all slicked off with one wipe of the Hero's tunic.

Midna eyed the Master Sword warily. That too, she decided, was going to have to go. Some part of her wondered why Link hadn't let it stay stuck in Ganondorf's body.

Jumping off the Messenger, Link hesitantly put the sword back in its sheath. He was probably aware of the eyes of all the mercenaries on him, but he certainly didn't seem bothered by it.

_'Right, first rule of royalty, you're always in charge.'_ Midna recounted,_ 'Second rule, let them know it.'_

"You," she said, pointing to a mercenary with a rusted helmet, "Go back to the camp, get rope - a lot of it - and ask the doctors for something that can keep him down."

"Wh-wha-" The man looked confused as to who between Link or the Messenger was going to be kept down.

"Move!" Midna snarled.

The mercenary looked once at Link, then at Rusl, and then at the terrifying woman who looked like she could smear his innards across all of Hyrule Field. It didn't take long for him to realize who was in charge and promptly rewrite his life goal from being a famous adventurer to making sure he lived to see sunrise.

As the man scurried off, Midna turned to Link once more. "Plug that stump of his up, blondie, and make sure he understands what'll happen if he doesn't cooperate."

By now, more than a few of the men were beginning to look wary of her take-charge way of things. The most commanding woman they'd had their entire lives had probably been their mothers, Midna thought. She resisted the urge to smile wickedly as she observed them. _'Sugar and spice, but I sure as hell ain't nice.'_

Even Zelda hadn't pulled on their whiskers as much as she was now. The realization turned Midna's smirk into a maniacal smile.

"Someone go back with Rusty and calm the others." She said, slowly and deliberately for the effect she intended to cause.

"What the-"

"Rusty? Who's -"

"Look miss, you're obviously dis-"

And now came the part where they all remembered they had spines.

The group of mercenaries didn't so much close in around her as the space between her and them suddenly disappear. Their protests started small, but as it became obvious other people were also talking each one began to try and talk over the others.

The redhead smirked, and looked past the men at the only pair who hadn't opened their mouths. Rusl and Link were holding some kind of staring contest now, but then Link's gaze flicked towards her again. She shook her head gently at the inquiring look in his eyes. These pests were hers to deal with.

Soon, the men quieted down as the weight of her silence began to weigh down on them. This wasn't the meek kind of reaction they were expecting. She could see the cogs in their heads begin to turn as these men began to realize the same thing Rusty did just a few moments ago.

Midna remembered the third rule, told in the voice of her old abrasive instructor. _'If they start to think -stop you deranged little hellspawn!- make them realize that thinking will only make it worse for them.'_

She let the men stew in the silence left behind by their eagerness to question her. Rusl had begun speaking quietly with Link. Midna looked over curiously at them but decided to put it out of her mind, at least for now. She was sure to wrangle the whole story out of Link later.

And now came the part where she would make sawdust of those spines they recently rediscovered.

"I said for one of you to go with Rusty and fill the rest of the caravan in, didn't I?" Midna repeated calmly. And then without waiting for an answer, she continued, "I should think some others should head there now, as well, y'know, because it's more or less your job to keep them safe."

Guilt was a wonderful motivator, Midna thought as she saw some of them look at each other awkwardly before heading off in the camps direction.

She looked at one of the dozen men left. This one had a bow and a few arrows in his quiver. Midna mentally compared it with the Hero's Bow stashed away in her shadow magic, and resisted the urge to roll her eyes. Did none of these men care realize the importance of good equipment?

"Tighten the guard tonight," she addressed him, not caring that he probably wasn't even the one originally in charge. "That thing should not have been able to get so close to us with the amount of men on duty."

It was a complete lie. They were actually a fair distance away from the camp, but none of these men looked experienced enough to understand that with as large a group as they were guarding, catching a threat acting alone was no mean feat. Larger groups were always easy to spot and recognize, and she knew this from the amount of times she and Link had been ambushed in the temples. Single agents were the bigger threats.

At a grand total of one, most people didn't recognize just how dangerous it could get. A single strange shape in the night was easy to pass off as nothing. A horde of of them was not.

The man with bow nodded slowly at her as she strode forward and broke through the wall of men separating her from the beast. The body looked limp, but the faint breathy sound told her it was still alive.

_'For now.'_ She reminded herself.

Rusl was furiously whispering with Link, looking more and more frustrated by the second. Link however, looked determined to disagree with whatever the older Ordonian was saying.

She briefly considered letting the two have their talk, but then remembered she was supposed to act in charge. And that meant interrupting the conversations of her underlings.

"While I'm sure whatever you're saying is very important Rusl, me and Link have some business to discuss." She said calmly, smoothly cutting off Rusl from whatever he was saying.

The man turned to her quickly. "Miss Midna would-"

"Midna."

The man stared at her for a moment. "What?"

"No 'Miss' remember? I only tolerated it back with the ladies because otherwise the gossip about clandestine meetings with exotic women would increase ten fold at the informality."

". . . . Right, anyways, I would appreciate it if you would please return to camp, and let me and Link deal with this beast." The same note of finality from before was back, and despite his obvious misgivings about her, Midna found herself liking him more and more for it. It was always nice to run into someone who actually had a clue.

Midna looked past him to the Shadow Messenger, "From what I can see, there is nothing left to deal with."

The look on the other man's face was grim. "It's still alive," he said quietly.

She gave him a hard look. "I suppose you wanted to fix that then?"

"If it's what it takes to make sure it's never a threat to innocent people again? Yes." Came the clipped reply.

Link put a hand on the man's shoulder, but Rusl jerked away. A hurt look entered the blond's eyes for the briefest moment, but then vanished as varnished steel replaced it. The green-clad man returned the Master Sword to its scabbard and crossed his arms defiantly, stepping beside Midna.

Rusl looked at the two of them steadily. How ridiculous it must have looked from the outside, Midna thought. The red-haired blue-skinned foreigner and the green and bloodied man standing against the experienced swordsman and member of the former Resistance. The older Ordonian's stare seemed to see something more than what was there.

"I won't pretend to know more about monsters than you, Link -Farore knows I don't even want to know what I do- but." Rusl looked at the starlit night sky, "but I would like to remind you that that thing over there isn't normal."

The man ran a hand through his unkempt hair. "This isn't some simple Bokoblin that you can trap with some old goat cheese and some rope. That thing is veritable abomination of nature."

_'You don't even know the half of it, Rusl.'_ Midna thought. Kakariko hadn't been the only village attacked after all. It was just the one Link had gotten to earliest.

Suddenly the man was glaring at her. "But if Link trusts you, then I will too. Explain."

Link stepped in front, as if challenging Rusl for even daring to address her so callously. The redhead felt the empty hole in her gut widen as she saw the unspoken confrontation between the two men.

A memory brushed against the edges of her mind. Midna shot it down with extreme prejudice. The last thing she needed was to let Farore play Goron bongo's with her head.

In the stillness of the conversation, the Shadow Beast stirred uncomfortably. Rusty had still not returned with the rope, and the men who had no idea what to do were now standing around the creature, unsure of whether they were guarding it, or preparing its execution. They murmured as they saw the beast, but none of them really said anything.

Midna gauged their distance carefully, before nodding to herself. She didn't want them listening in on what she was about to say.

"Tell me, Rusl," Midna began, "what do you know of magic?"

She had already done it once today. Bullshitting in the face of another honest man was not going to affect her karmic debt much.

* * *

The princess was tempted to look for this so called 'moral compass' she often heard Shad arguing about with Ashei and smash it to hell. Maybe that would make the hole in her stomach better.

After the rope and the sedatives had been brought from camp, it had taken an hour or so to tie and drag the Messenger back to a reasonable distance from the caravan. Rusl had disapproved naturally, but at Midna's promise to explain later on, he had grudgingly agreed. Surprisingly, the majority of the caravan had not bothered with explanations and accepted the half-hearted reasons the mercenaries gave them for all the commotion. It seemed that Zelda's assurance that the threat was over was enough to wave away all worry from their minds.

Midna didn't know whether to be impressed in their ability to trust, or annoyed.

"You truly expect me to believe this?" Rusl asked as he stared at her. "Link?"

The blond man hesitated only a bit before he nodded slowly. Midna wondered if he had ever planned on telling his friends anything. Surely he couldn't possibly expect them all to just return to the old status quo?

"Whether you believe it or not, is irrelevant," Midna interjected. "I'm just telling you all this because someone should know why I want it alive."

"Because that thing is really a cursed human?" Rusl asked, a blank look upon his face.

"Or Zora, or Goron, or who knows what else." Midna clarified. It was true. The Zora and Goron tribes and suffered some losses too, and Midna was not nearly so blind to believe that they were the only races inhabiting Hyrule. The Lost Woods in particular had just reeked of Life . . .

Suddenly Rusl let out a grieved sigh.

The princess said nothing in response to the goddesses name.

He looked a little embarrassed at this and decided to explain. "A few weeks ago, me and Auru had managed to subdue a group of these - Shadow Messengers, was it?- that had attacked a group of merchants we were watching over."

Midna whistled appreciatively and even Link looked impressed. Shadow Messengers were atrocities of nature and had more than enough strength to overpower a group of ten men. That Rusl and Auru had managed to subdue a group was more than shocking. It once again made her wonder what kind of man Link would be without the Triforce.

Rusl nodded gratefully towards the duo's reactions. "As you can imagine, it wasn't easy. We learned that the hard way."

The Messenger screeched futilely into the night sky. Its only hand clawing at the unseen anchor in its chest. In the ensuing silence they heard the moans and groan of the travelers from the caravan. The princess was quietly amused at their discomfort. Sleeping around a Messenger was impossible.

"But . . . during our battle. I noticed that the number of those creatures seemed to have grown larger instead of smaller as one would expect."

"And when you finally disposed of them, there were a few merchants missing weren't there?" Midna finished for him, already guessing where he was going.

The Ordonian looked pained as he grunted affirmatively.

Link looked in the direction of the captive monster, which tried to lunge at him. He had cauterized the beasts bleeding stump of a hand with a torch earlier because all the doctors refused to get even close to it. It was needless to say that the beast had not found that pleasant. It was being held down by several ropes binding its limbs, and even had a chain circling its neck and tying it to a spike in the ground.

Unbeknownst to anyone but him and Midna, there was also an unseen amount of force pressing down on the beasts chest, forcing it to stay low lest it break its own bone structure. Midna's magic was incredibly useful, after all. It was like having the ball and chain hanging from its chest, but much worse, or so she discretely told Link when dragging the beast back.

Link looked worried for a moment, but it was gone before she could ask about it.

"So, I'm guessing you are going to try and cure it?" Rusl queried, not even disguising the hope in his voice.

"If I could, do you think Mr. Big, Insane, and Screechy would still be tied there?"

The farmer shrugged. "I thought magic-"

Midna cut him off. "Tell me, what's odd about this particular fellow here?"

Rusl thought on it for a bit. "It was alone?" He hesitated.

"Exactly. They're never alone." She said. "And they sure as hell don't let each other get so injured before they start serenading me and mutt here."

The mutt in question looked amused at her choice of words. He was remaining mostly silent through this entire exchange, mostly because he himself had nothing to contribute, but that did not mean he was not following it attentively. One learned to pay attention to even the boring things, when questing.

You never knew when the coloring of a desert flower could signify the difference between food and poison.

"I'm going to try," She continued, "to suss out where all the others are."

"How?" Rusl asked suspiciously.

"I myself am capable of many magicks."

She didn't even try to disguise the pride in her voice. Magic of any kind wasn't easy. And the Fused Shadows were not known to be docile things to tame either. Midna secretly suspected they were they reason Zant had...cracked, for lack of a better description.

Rusl nodded in acceptance. That too was the advantage to mentioning magic. Most people never bothered with too fine an explanation if magic was involved. There were more ways to practice it than there were trees in a forest.

"You're still holding something back." Rusl noted. He didn't look all that displeased

The princess smirked, glad to see the man wasn't as gullible as he first seemed. "Of course I am. What kind of devious witch would I be if I showed my hand to every pretty face I came across?"

Link made a fake choking sound beside her. Midna resisted the urge to hit him in ribs, and slapped him over the head instead.

"You could be lying to me."

Midna nodded appreciatively. "That too."

"That thing could escape."

"I can neither confirm nor deny the possibility."

Rusl chuckled sadly. Midna didn't which was worse. That, or the heavy leaden feeling that was taking over her extremities.

"Do what you will." He said finally, shrugging as if to brush aside how deeply the whole situation must be affecting him. "I don't want another war on my hands. Nayru knows I'm not even sure we're done with the first one"

He got up, told the two partners that they were responsible for security -Midna would have much preferred he just tell them that no one else had the spine to approach the beast- and left towards the rest of the caravan for an early breakfast. Dawn was no where in sight, but then again, she supposed that one did not have the luxury of sleeping in when you were a farmer your entire life.

Link approached the Shadow Messenger slowly. The Messenger, its face smeared into the ground, turned slightly and rumbled dangerously. Link responded in kind with one of his own.

The Messenger tugged at the chain around its neck. The cold iron had bit into the flesh from the incessant tugging, but there was nothing life-threatening about it. Besides, it looked plenty bothered by the charred stump of a hand more than anything else (or as bothered as anything could look with a scribed plate for a face could anyways).

Midna flicked her finger towards it. Suddenly, its whole body fell flat to the ground, and even pressed into the earth an inch or so.

"This is just unfair," Midna mumbled to the air. "You cannot possibly be allowed to do this."

The Hero blinked at her words, but otherwise gave no reaction.

"Well, fleabag, looks like we'll be babysitting this fella' here until I figure out what to do with him."

The wolf-turned-human looked between the Messenger and Midna in quick succession several times. He scowled.

"Muzzle it." Midna warned. Suddenly an idea crossed her mind. "Besides, what if this is what the goddesses meant, hmm? To help the Messengers regain their true forms?"

The scowl never left his face, but lessened as an understanding look passed through his eyes. Midna mentally added another notch to the proverbial stone tablet counting her lies to him. The imagery helped drive the point in further.

The redhead rubbed her fingers irritatedly, pushing away the numb feeling creeping up through the tips.

This was good, she told herself. She could work with this. Link was now distracted with the possibility that they were going to finally deal with the existence of the Shadow Messengers, Rusl was satisfied that whatever she was doing it wasn't going to bring about the end of days again, and the Messenger-

A muffled shriek pierced through her thoughts. The sound was weak, a weak facsimile of what that voice was capable.

Nonetheless, it made a strange sort of sense to Midna.

The Messengers were damned as they were, and there was no doubt in Midna's mind that there were more to come in the future. She would help if she could, but Link was her priority now.

That still did not stop the lingering feeling that something was amiss. Which, as far as Midna was willing to bet, meant something actually was out of place.

_'Tricky tricky, little goddess.'_ Midna thought as she and Link set up a perimeter around the Messenger, _'But now it's my turn.'_

* * *

_Link smiled graciously towards the green-haired girl. From her vantage point over his shoulder, Navi observed the interaction between the two. One a Kokiri, a prophesied Sage even, the other, a seventeen-year-old boy who had pretended to be one. Neither seemed inclined to acknowledge the break in their once great friendship._

_Navi sighed as she observed the duo, and tried not to feel ever so slightly satisfied as she saw Saria bid Link farewell._

_Fairies weren't meant to feel jealousy after all. Especially not of pre-pubescent little girls._

**End Chapter 5**

* * *

Author Notes: Probably the most important chapter I've written so far. And by god, do I love it.

Therefore, it is now your job to criticise and tear down all its qualities through liberal vitriolic phrasing, and similar rhetoric. Seriously. I'm only half-kidding here. If I'm as in love with this chapter as I think I am then I need people to show me the Light (pardon the pun).

For the list of memories: The first one is during one of those moments when Link first puts on the Deku Mask after returning to his true form (seriously, those transformations scenes look like they freaking hurt!). The second one is during Minish Cap, when Link is Minish-sized and scuttling about at some point during castle looking for Vaati (cats are evil, enough said). The last memory is Navi observing Link and Saria after the Forest Temple and it's special because...well, you can figure it out right?

One thing that's always bothered me about the Twilight Princess game is that they mention the Shadow Messengers turning normal humans into one of them, but never really expands upon it. I guess it's probably because it would have seemed to much like a zombie apocalypse which is definitely not LoZ territory. Besides, I'm pretty sure that all the Messengers don't disappear after you kill Zant, so this isn't really that much of a stretch...is it?

Midna is still dishonest and manipulative. She'll be getting a nasty shock too eventually, as you can guess. Not enough goddess action or pondering, but then again, the Golden Ones aren't so overt in their actions all the time now are they?

And before someone asks, no, the memory that Midna started between last chapter and this one is not shown. It too is a special one.

Thanks, and until next time,

Quantum Cat


	6. Chapter 6: The Spring

**The story thus far: **Midna's realized the goddesses have been playing Groundhog's Day with Link's entire Hero journey. This of course, ticks her off and she soon challenges the goddesses for the right to let Link live his own life and die his own death. Zelda finds out, but proves that she isn't all sparkles when she points out that she herself has a vested interest in preserving the Hero as he is; nonetheless she concedes Midna the reigns to the man as she now has a kingdom to recover. The Resistance bids each other farewell as they each decide to return to life. On a caravan to Kakariko Village, Midna finally reveals herself to Rusl, who is...less than impressed. Later, Midna tells Link of an altered version of her encounter with the goddesses, something right up his alley to firmly place him near her for the rest of this adventure. Afterwards, Rusl confronts Midna on her connection to Link, but a Shadow Messenger attacks. However, Midna decides to keep it alive, because she remembers, really, it's nothing but a cursed one.

**Chapter 6**

Traveling on a horse was a novel experience for Midna. Traveling in a group was a novel experience. Traveling with a captive Shadow Messenger was a novel experience. Going days on end with no apparent headway made in their journey was a novel experience. Having the same broth-like concoction for dinner every day was a novel experience.

Midna was getting really tired of novel experiences.

Whatever hope she had for arriving at the village within a couple of days vanished once she saw how slow the entire caravan was. However, arriving at the village within the month was also looking more and more to be a flight of fantasy. The caravan made frequent stops because some of the animals were exhibiting peculiar symptoms. Unsurprisingly, most of those afflicted were in the vicinity of Midna, Link, and the Messenger.

She wondered if traveling with Link had spoiled her. The Sacred Beast was always ready, always prepared and willing to move on. He was veritable machine when it came to questing. Whether it was through the passive powers of the Triforce of Courage or just that he truly was that dedicated, most of their troubles had died early in their journey, when he had first begun adapting to the harsh nature of their task.

Sometimes, he would spend days in his wolf form for the swift and agile body it gave him. Those times were mostly in those instances where Epona simply could not traverse the terrain or there was no way for her to even get there. His wolf body would allow him to pass through the most suicidal of conditions such as the blizzards of Snowpeak.

There were times however, Link would absolutely refuse to don his fur. He never clarified as to why, and Midna never pried into it too much, but she had her own suspicions. As incredible and masterful as the body of the Sacred Beast was, there were just some lines the mind should never cross for too long. Living as a wolf, killing as a wolf for too long undoubtedly did things to Link's head.

To Midna, who had first met and worked with Link as a wolf, it was worrisome. But she preferred to never broach the topic, because the one time she had Link had avoided all communication with her for days afterwards. Which was remarkable, because normally Link was far more expressive than any man with a sword should be.

As the weeks began to wear on with the caravan, she began to catch the little quirks reminiscent of his wolf nature more often. He would sometimes twitch at the slightest of sounds in the middle of the night. While drinking from his flask of water his hand would shake slightly, and stop whenever he caught sight of her staring at him. And he had begun rejecting the broth that they were having for meals more and more often, and slowly savor his dried meat that he had brought for himself as rations.

One time, she had caught him just glaring at their captive Shadow Messenger, the utter need for something in his eyes turning his normal visage ghastly with desire. Desire for what, however, remained elusive -though, like with his need for humanity, Midna had a guess.

She only seriously began to consider her guess to be plausible when one of the mercenaries had asked Link to share some of the meat with the rest of them. The green-clad Ordonian had not done anything explicitly threatening, but he had not been friendly either. And when he sent the sellsword on his way, Midna had caught sight of him clenching his fist tight enough to crack his own hand.

_'I am the Sacred Beast, hear me roar!'_ She had thought upon seeing it.

The reality of it all though, was not nearly so humorous. Link had fought nightmares and monsters, and had clawed and ripped through the flesh of too many in his wolf body. Somewhere over the course of this war, they'd crossed the line too many times. Just as he needed his humanity, he was beginning to realize that he needed the comfort of his carnivorous fangs and lupine tail too. He seemed determined not to acknowledge this though.

None of the others in the group noticed this odd behavior of Link's, with the exception of Rusl who would come over and chat with the blond man. There was a tension now between the two, one that Midna would almost liken to neither of them recognizing the other. At least both of them acknowledged something was off, and both worked towards fixing whatever it was. But wherever Link was, so was Midna, and so was the Shadow Messenger, so it would not be long before Rusl would claim to attend other business.

Midna tugged at the magic surrounding the Shadow Beast with her mind. In the physical world, the beast stumbled but did not fall. It made no sound, having also been silenced with her magic. It followed the caravan at the same snail's pace as everyone, but it had long since stopped with its aggressions. Link had proven to be adept at taming more than just animals. It still clearly expressed hostile intentions towards them, but it had recognized the futility of its actions.

Luckily no one questioned too deeply about their most recent travel companion and its restraints, preferring to leave well enough alone and to avoid looking at the slightly luminescent marks that flowed across the beasts flesh. Rusl had even done her the courtesy of mentioning to no one her magical prowess, which almost certainly would have sparked several petty requests for aid.

And so the weeks passed. And all the while, the Messenger struggled weakly, Link grew ever more tetchy, and the rest of the caravan didn't give a damn.

* * *

The sky was a horrid creation of the goddesses in Midna's opinion. In the Twilight realm, night and day might as well have gone drinking and never returned for all the difference it made to her people. Their internal clocks governed their cycles, not the intensity of light or lack thereof. It was much more efficient in her opinion, because any one who needed the sky to tell you when to sleep was obviously unhinged.

But that was not why she disliked the sky. The problem was the sun; it was big and it gave warmth and light to the entire country. It was an example of the goddess' favor with this realm. Always giving, always present, always so very _perfect_ it gave the Twilight Princess a headache whenever she would think about it for too long. Warmth and love would shine down on the land of Hyrule, and the sun would never ask anything in return.

And that was more than enough reason for Midna to not set her clock by the sun.

Rain, however was not much better.

Her hips protested painfully as she climbed down from Epona, her soaked cloak clinging to uncomfortable places. The Shadow Messenger hung behind her, like a morose statue as its feet were sucked into the soft mud. A tinny sound emanated from its mouth as the steady shower of rain began to intensify.

She spared it a glance but decided to put it out of her mind for the moment.

Link approached her on foot, having gone to the front of the group to find out what was happening. He grabbed Epona's reigns and guided her over to one of the ruins around the Bridge of Eldin, motioning for Midna to follow. The princess looked towards the Shadow Messenger, and grabbed his chain leash much like Link had with Epona and guided it towards the ruins.

They had finally reached the bridge after weeks of traveling. Tempers among the guards were high, as many of them had come along expecting something entirely different than what they were getting. It did not help that someone earlier had fallen ill a two weeks ago and had now spread to a dozen more of the guard.

Crossing the Bridge of Eldin had been nerving to say the least. The caravan had passed on waiting out the incoming rain at the time, with the leaders electing to cross and be done with it. It had begun to drizzle not even a minute later, followed by the steady pitter-patter. This had made the stone bridge slippery towards the edges, and they had almost lost one of the oxen to the abyss below because of this.

Now that they had finally crossed it, the ground was proving to be too soft for any progress with the carts to be made. Mud lined this part of Hyrule Field like streamers, and the wind was beginning to pick up. Many of the travelers had already taken to securing their cargo and making sure it did not spoil as soon as they had come within sight of the ruins.

She and Link observed as the majority of the travelers began to panic when the tarp covering one of the carts was blown off in the wind. Midna half-expected Link to just sprint out and gracefully snatch the thing in mid-air, because as far as the Light realm was concerned, that's the kind of thing heroes do.

The ruins were another one of Hyrule's mysteries that no one really seemed to bother with. They gave off the impression that there had been an outpost or something here at one point, but nobody bothered with mentioning it. When Link had chased the Bulbin King after kidnapping Colin, it had led him here. They had thought nothing of it at the time, but it had proven to be an effective sniping spot when Link had had to lay siege to the bridge guarded by Bulbins one time.

They now had a wall to the direction of the wind, and after Link secured Epona so that she would not wander off during the storm, Midna magically chained the Shadow Messenger against the wall. There were no physical signs to speak of her power, but if the Messenger tried to move any more than two feet away from it, it would find itself unable to reach an inch further.

"So what's the verdict?" Midna shouted over the howling wind, "Mother Hen letting us head any further?"

Link's response was to drop down against the wall and lean back, clearly frowning in the direction of Rusl who had grabbed the blown away tarp. He did not even look in her direction.

"Tch, he'll be the death of us like this."

The wolf-turned-man sighed then, and shook his head. In the distance, she could see Rusl directing the guards to actually do something.

It was interesting, how over the course of the trip, Rusl had practically assumed entire control of the caravan's guards. It seemed that an unspoken election had taken place to make him the captain, if for no other reason so that he would be the one to communicate with her and Link.

Midna was not stupid. She knew the expression in the guards' eyes when she caught some of them looking at her and Link when they thought she wasn't looking. She had seen it enough in her own reflection in the early days of Zant's usurping.

Link motioned for her to move closer. Midna piqued her eyebrow, intrigued, but sat down besides him nonetheless. The ground here was granite, like the ruins, but it was one of the few parts that wasn't muddy sludge.

In the overcast skies and through the downpour around them, his hair almost looked brown. His bangs hung over his azure eyes, and she considered offering to cut it for him. Having hair over your eyes must be a pain when fighting for your life. Observing him more closely, she noticed that he also had not shaved for some time yet, judging by the stubble growing on his chin.

_'A wild man indeed,'_ Midna smiled grimly. She did not think Link would be able to disguise his growing anxiety for much longer. He probably did not even realize what he wanted.

Link threw his arm around her and pulled her close. Even through the overcast light, she could see he began to shake a little.

She hoped he wasn't ill. Sickness was not something that existed in the Twilight, so she would have no idea what to do about treating it, and the thought of asking one of the doctors from the caravan made her anxious. She was trying to avoid interacting with the group as much as possible, not have them do _things _to him in the name of healing

"I'm cold,"Midna said by way of explanation she brought her own arm across Link.

Link rolled his eyes, and forced a smile through his chattering teeth.

The twili's red eyes desperately ignored how very tasty those lips looked.

Before she could voice anything else however, Link suddenly jerked upwards wildly looking around. That familiar sense of danger returned to him, and the Twilight Princyess cursed in her native tongue. She supposed that it would have been too generous of the heavens to let the two of them have one moment of peace.

A faint scream pierced through the metronome of the rain, shaking both of them out of the embrace for warmth. Almost instantly, Link untied Epona from a half destroyed pillar and began mounting her. He did not even acknowledge Midna's affronted glance, nor did he seem to care that the caravan was only beginning to notice the sound.

The scream rang out again. Midna felt the magic sewed into the sound caress her skin gently, and scowled when she recognized the taint in it.

She faced the Shadow Messenger, hanging limply from its invisible chains, yet the tribal marks decorating its flesh glowing slightly more than before. It raised its head and faced her, as if reenergized by the shriek. Possible, now that she thought about it.

She had to give credit to Zant, he'd known his stuff.

"Friends of yours?" She asked, knowing that it was not its fault. If it had, this would have happened weeks ago. That of course, made her wonder why the hell it had to be now of all times.

As she began to melt into the shadows of the wall, she frowned ever so slightly when she felt her magic dance away from her fingers. The shadows began to feel thick and viscous as her entry slowed. It began to condense quickly, and she felt the faintest exertion on her body.

An uneasy feeling settled over her. Entering the shadows had never been more than second nature to her.

Suddenly the Shadow Messenger shrieked, apparently rejuvenated by the sick magic lingering in the air. The Twilight Princess grimaced painfully as the voice racketed her brain with its frightening power. Her body felt weak again, and suddenly she wanted nothing more than to eviscerate the damned beast then and there, for making her feel that way again.

* * *

Farore.

Midna rolled her eyes. _'Of course.'_ She thought.

The goddess approached Midna. They were...somewhere. It was difficult to pin down what their surroundings were. The space distorted uncannily as the redhead took it in. There was a sense of sentience all around them, reminding Midna much of her own court back in the Twilight Realm. She could easily imagine invisible people watching them, waiting for something interesting to happen.

"My Shadow," Midna muttered, "you goddesses can be so needlessly dramatic. Do you usually do this kind of thing or am I just special?"

The tinkle of Farore's laughter would have warmed the hearts of even the most callous murderer. Midna was a princess though, and in many ways she could be worse.

With a snap of her fingers, the world around them began to fall. Midna watched as what she was certain was reality peel back much like how Link would peel an apple. There was something wrong about seeing your world fall apart with but a snap of someone's fingers.

"Before you had seen the Sacred Realm, my dear Midna." Farore whispered in her ear. "Out of respect for your sense of novelty, I have decided to resort to something different."

Midna was sure that had to be a joke.

A rippling veil came into view. It was glowing.

"!no gniog s'tahw wonk neve t'nod ouy nehw desserpmi eb ot drah s'tI" Midna snapped at the goddess. Then paused, and played back what she said in her head.

"You should consider speech an unnecessary commodity here, Midna." Farore said, talking as fluently and eloquently as before. "We are backstage. And that," she said, pointing to beyond the veil, "is where the show is."

The hazy smoke from before coalesced into a scene, one that the princess was very familiar with. Link fighting Shadow Messengers.

Or rather, Link slaughtering them like cattle. It was cold description for something that was so obviously heroic, but whether because she had been with him the whole epic journey of theirs or whether it was that shard of Wisdom still in her, Midna was not above sparing herself the gruesome reality.

The man's presence overshadowed theirs easily she could see, he was like a heavy weight on a thin paper sheet. Reality would bend around him as he stabbed, slashed, and growled uncontrollably. By all means, he should have been dead by that point. Should have been.

As if reading her mind, Link parried the arm of another Shadow Messenger and ducked under it as he rammed into the beast with monstrous force. The Shadow Messenger stumbled back, thrown off by the attack, and began to wheeze. Link had jumped back and faster than she could see he was over another Messenger, Master Sword planting itself in its skull.

The monster thrashed, surprisingly not dead from the unorthodox attack (after all, what kind of man jumps over monsters?). Shocked, Link still maintained his hold on the grip of the Master Sword as he flailed about.

"It is true that the Hero binds himself to you," Farore said, staring lovingly at the scene, "but do not assume that you are the only tether he has."

In the background of the scene, Midna saw another blade shine through the gray storm. Rusl. He was fighting at Link's side. His movements were nowhere near the fluid dance of Link's but he was clearly holding his own against one of the Messengers.

A knot formed in her stomach. She knew that the goddesses considered themselves above many mortal concepts, but surely they wouldn't turn Link's other friends against her?

Link cried out. Another Messenger had yanked him form his grip on his sword, still lodged in the skull of the now dead one, and had thrown him thirty to forty feet into the air. The scene zoomed in on Link's face, twisted inhumanly as he once again endured ridiculous amounts of pain in the name of good.

Nonetheless when the scene zoomed out once more Midna saw Link reaching for his magical pouch, the one connected to the dimensional pocket keeping all his items, and pull out his clawshots. He slid them both on swift as lightning, and aimed one at the beast that awaited him below.

At this point he was already halfway down, any closer and he'd be in striking range for the Messenger. Which it seemed was exactly what he'd planned.

One of the claws shot towards the Messenger with the force of a battering ram. It pierced the flesh and bone of the beast and planted itself in the ground, miraculously digging in deep enough for Link to engage the reel.

Link slammed into the Messenger with his shoulder. There was no cry to be heard, but ivory bone suddenly snapped out from under the skin, sending more than a few flecks of blood everywhere.

They tumbled, as beasts are wont to do when crashing into each other, and soon Link had grabbed his blade and yanked it out of the now dead monster. Shadows speckled down from above like rain and soon enough there were more Messengers around him.

He did not pause to take in the situation because to do so was stupid. Never stop moving, never cut the flow of battle with even a cursory glance to the side. A Messenger to his left swiped at him horizontally, missed, and found itself in want of an arm as Link cut it off from the shoulder.

The monster stumbled back, unearthly scream erupting from nowhere. Link moved in and delivered a vicious kick Midna recognized from a Darknut. The Messenger's kneecap popped back, and monster cried.

Midna shook her head. No. It had Shrieked.

Link dragged the tip of the Master Sword across the ground, both hands gripping it like a lifeline, and with a spin and a heave of effort, the Messenger on the ground, and the one that had been sneaking behind him, were cleaved in two.

The Chosen One brought his blade up to defend against another Messenger, this one smaller but faster than the others. His smile was fierce and vicious, as he grabbed one of the tentacles from its head and pulled. The Messenger fell, and it last saw the holy light of the Goddess reflected in it the Blade of Evil's Bane as it entered its chest.

Link removed his sword and moved on, paying no glance towards the dead.

"He's the greatest Beast we have ever created out of love for Hyrule, but even he is but that, a Beast. Your people are far more dangerous than he."

_'Stupid goddess'_ Midna thought, unable to tear away from the sight._ 'Stupid stupid stupid...'_

Then she punched Farore in the face.

The goddess' head snapped to the side, green hair flying wildly.

Midna glared hatefully at the goddess. Farore faced her once more, no blemish or bruise marring her perfect image, and- _'Surprise, surprise'_- smiled.

"My turn."

* * *

And suddenly no longer was she backstage.

It did not take long for Midna to realize what happened. The massive hole in her mental blockade was a good indicator too.

She barely recognized the feeling of falling; the force of countless lives trying to escape through that one leak in her mental barrier was suddenly all she could concentrate on. Innumerable sights and sounds began to dance around her, frying her conscious experience and scribing their meaning on her flesh.

* * *

And then suddenly she's in bed, hot and sweaty with her hair plastered all over her face. She feels dazed and disoriented, unsure of the veracity of these sensations. Her head pounded with quaking force, and she closed her eyes and covered her ears, because _goddammit_, this is the worst hangover she's ever had.

Her stomach motions its agreement with this statement by emptying itself out, and suddenly she's hot, sweaty, hurting, and covered in what looked like yesterday's supper.

She curses in her native tongue, unable to remember even how to spell the word 'manners'. Her words string together rapidly and resonate in the minds of one other person in the room, who quickly grabs the gist of the words if not their full meaning.

And like a perfect little dame, Ilia blushes.

The redhead on the bed grabbed her throat, as if tasting the air, but then coughs, and suddenly Ilia remembers that here is a person who has been out for days without food or water.

She rushes out of the room to get a fresh bowl, and makes sure to chide Beth later for not leaving one there like she was supposed.

Meanwhile, the Twilight Princess opened her eyes at last and tries to ignore the unpleasant smell wafting up from her sheets. Throwing the sheets straight off, she's surprised down as she realizes she's as bare as the day she was brought into the world. While it would not have bothered her much when she was an imp, it seemed that her natural form came with the bother of feeling shame at being nude as well.

But then, she feels the memories pressing down once again, unrelenting in their quest. She ignores the memory of having her gangrenous hand cut off too late, and plugs up all the holes the goddess left in her head as fast as she can. Trying to ignore the literal fire in her veins or the numbness in her limbs proves difficult, and suddenly Midna is once again stuck in that world crafted by idle minds.

This is how Ilia found her when she comes back. Naked and with that subtly frightening glazed look in her eye, Midna is a sight to see, especially for the young peasant. Repressing her immediate reaction, Ilia hurries to Midna's side and presses the water bowl to the exotic woman's lips.

Almost immediately the redhead takes a long deep gulp of it, so much so that Ilia is almost afraid she's going to choke again. However, nothing happens, and Midna finishes off all the water with a huge sigh of relief and a wicked smile.

"Now that is what I call a gift from the gods," Midna says, a certain edge to her tone, "None of that magic triangle shit."

Ilia smiled at the reference to the old legend. Though she couldn't help but notice the stranger didn't say thanks.

"You've been out for a while," she said, "You came in with the caravan a couple of days ago and everyone was really worried about you. They couldn't figure out what was wrong."

Midna was plenty willing to tell Ilia what had been wrong, but her self-control got a hold of her before she said anything she might regret later.

"Where's Link?" she said, looking around the room. She half-expected the mutt to be curled up at the foot of her bed, but then she remembered that normal people would consider that strange behavior.

Ilia's eyes dimmed a bit. "He's out . . . somewhere."

Midna stared into the young girl's eyes and to her surprise found no trace of jealousy or contempt, just the kind of nervous anxiety that only housewives and lovestruck schoolchildren can manage. Strange, she figured that Rusl would have told Ilia all about their supposed tryst, but it seemed the old bird had never gotten around to doing that. It also crossed her mind that maybe the girl was just willing to give people the benefit of the doubt, but the princess was unwilling to believe such people actually existed.

"Out as in the village? Or out as in brandishing that fancy stick at every smelly, ugly, creature in Hyrule field?"

Was it sad that the first thing she thought of was that disturbing mailman? Oh well...

Ilia's downtrodden expression brightened slightly at the tone of genteel mocking, before she covered it up. "Just...how is it that you know each other, if you don't mind me asking?" She asked, all inquisitive eyes and eager. Midna was willing to bet if she had a tail it'd be wagging.

"Eh, I've saved his fur a couple of times, he's saved my skin a couple hundred. I guess you could say we're almost friends."

And then a trace of fear, before it goes away it almost seems like a trick. Curious...

"He's been...okay?" Ilia asks finally. "Nothing too strange or frightening?"

The Chosen Hero was plenty strange, it practically came with the package. And as for frightening . . .

"Not particularly. Partners don't really scare each other though."

Another lie, another truth. Partners don't scare each other. But the fact that he survived, even with divine intervention, is enough to give an idea of just what exactly the man was capable of.

Ilia sighed in relief. "I'm glad, it's just . . . he's been so distant lately, you know?"

There was nothing distant about wrapping yourself around each other in the dead of night because the fields were just so damn cold. So, no, Midna did not know what she was talking about.

Giving the girl a noncommittal nod, the princess tried to figure just when it was she became Ilia's newest best friend.

"Oh pardon me, my name's Ilia, and it's a pleasure to meet you."

"Wish it could have been under better circumstances." Midna muttered. "But what the hell, pleasure's all yours, I'm sure."

She had fancied introducing herself to this girl in the past before, but never like this. She had imagined it with much more fanfare, and even dare she say it, catching Link and Ilia plowing the fields so to speak, so as to leave the right lasting impression.

The farmgirl frowned a bit further at the response but said nothing, and Midna suppressed the mischievous cackle that threatened to break through. At some point Link had tried the same thing; ignore it and pretend it didn't happen.

Really, that practically handed whatever dignity he had left to her on a silver platter.

"Now, where's Link? I've got a whipping to give to him that's a couple of days overdue."

The girl looked taken aback at the complete seriousness with which Midna said that. Midna could see the wooden clogs turning in that blonde head of hers, reevaluating the au natural woman in front of her.

A sudden draft distracted Midna from the peasant, and reminded her of the very plain fact that she was in a strange place, with a hangover that just found out it's out of a job due to upcoming newbies. And the fact that Link wasn't around didn't make it any better.

Ilia, seeing the pain going on the strange woman's (who she realized hadn't given her name) face, decided to forego any perfectly reasonable suspicions she had about the foreigner and promptly began with the nursing back to health.

She guided Midna to a clean, vomit-free bed and set about the usual things she did for everyone who'd ever been sick in Ordon. Put your hand on their head, bite your lip appreciatively, and wonder when the doctor was going to get here. Or, to be more specific to the area, the shaman.

* * *

Renado had been rather busy since his town had been destroyed and the mayor had been found wanting of a whole body. He'd been found in the hotsprings. He had also been found near the old brewery. And the spring. And poor Mrs. Bubskin's drawer for some strange reason.

The rather cynical thought had crossed Renado's mind when they had also found bits among the remains of Barnes' old bomb storage. _'What kind of moron hides in a place filled to the brim with Spirits damned bombs?'_

A politician was the answer, but since he was a shaman and not some common drunkard who could waste away in a bar while others got the work done, he ignored that needling voice in his mind. Mostly because there no longer was a bar.

It would not be far-off from the truth to say that as soon as they had begun digging the graves for the bodies of those men and women he had lived with for who knows how many years, he wanted to quit the mystic medicine business and go have a whiskey with Barnes. But Barnes was a stingy bastard, if a good friend, and there was this thing called a conscience that all those mystic powders he'd inhaled had failed to fry.

Nonetheless, miracle of miracles, he, his daughter Luda, and a few others, had survived the attacks of those savage beasts that had ruined his once peaceful village. And really, no amount of griping was going to change the fact that he was still the shaman of the village. Healing and helping was his job.

So it was with a heavy heart and an even heavier sigh that he found himself going to check in on the newest individual under his care, an odd young woman with blue skin and fiery red hair. He longed for the simpler days when being a shaman meant he just had to follow rituals, breathe in icense, and talk to spirits. People never came to _him_ in those days.

Opening the door to the 'infirmary' Renado noticed that his charge was currently awake, and looking rather bored at that. It was with a dispassionate second-glance that he noticed she was also naked, and rather attractive. Link was a lucky fellow, his hind-brain noted.

"It's good to see you awake, Miss Midna." He said, noting that Ilia had gone to the other bed to take care of his other patient. "I take it that you've already had some water? Good. You've caused quite a stir with your sudden illness."

The woman rolled her eyes. Her eyes strayed to where Ilia was. It seemed to Renado that she was just noticing she was not the only one in bed.

"Who's cowgirl attending to now?" She asked. Renado noticed there was still a scratchy sound to her voice.

"Miss Ilia?" He questioned back, fighting back a smile. And suddenly he had a wicked want to test this young woman in front of him. "She's currently tending Impaz."

He left it at that, if this girl truly has been traveling with Link, the name should ring a bell. _Goddess knows how, seeing as how the man never speaks. _Was the returning thought.

"That old biddy? Huh..."

Renado would hardly call the slightly delusional woman a 'biddy', mostly because he was sure the word 'madwoman' was apt and appripriate enough to describe her. Even so, the blue girl passed the test. However feeble it was.

Ignoring the sensation that something was just so very definitely wrong about the situation, Renado called upon his great and venerable knowledge that he acquired from the bastards unlucky enough to go through similar things as the patients.

_'Dehydration, weakness...small things, but that's it. How odd.'_

He'd been expecting something more perplexing, but to find nothing was more baffling than if he'd found she was growing a Deku Baba out of her head. His head was starting to hurt, but he ignored it, as he left to gather the generic herbs that certainly were not the same things he used to perk himself up after a long night digging graves.

_'For someone who's supposedly traveled with Link, there's an impressive amount of nothing that shows any venturing whatsoever.' _Renado thought to himself.

Her skin was smooth and unmarred, her hair, even after going through the long journey from Castle Town, still held some sort of gloss that only coin could get you, and the stench of death that Link wore like heavy armor was nowhere.

_'Not my problem,' _Renado thought to himself. He liked to think himself a friend of Link's, (because he'd be damned if he let himself be anything but friendly with _him_), but he was also a shaman with a village still on the map. He didn't have time to worry about other people's troubles, whatever Rusl may have warned him about.

His head gave a little 'Ting' in response. Renado winced, but schooled his features quickly enough. Must be the stress, he reasoned.

Once he had gathered the herbs, Renado began mashing them in with a crucible. His thoughts strayed to the caravan's arrival a few days ago.

They had been running low on medicine and bandages for a while now, so the sight of a group of people approaching the gates hadn't filled Renado with the dread of wondering how many more mouths he would have to feed, because of just how incredibly _healthy _and _alive_ they all looked. Certainly, there was a small bug passing between them, but it was nothing compared to the lesions and hemorrhaging that had been common for months now.

And their faces were so pink and clear of worry or fear, it was a wonder Renado didn't think them some new race to Hyrule. He could count on one hand how many people he'd seen in the last couple of months that looked even remotely as healthy as they, himself not among them.

So, it was with much fanfare and hasty greetings that the Gorons opened the gates, and ushered the new arrivals into the village. The newcomers barely had time to gather the entirety of the villages (or what was left of it), before they were urged by various people of various positions, and even some with no position to speak of, to get to work.

_'And Luda looked so happy to see potatos once again...' _Renado thought, and ignored the implications of that statement. Just like he did with all the others.

The medicine was welcome, but perhaps, even more welcome was the food they brought. There were fruits that had become a rare commodity only to those with the biggest wallet or the sneakiest hand...up until Renado caught a sick little chit nicking a pear from the storage shed. Which was being guarded by his brother of all people. Barnes was then put in charge of the guard duty. Not because he was fiercesome or any such crock, but because he was a mean old swindler with a sneaky streak a mile wide.

...and because Renado felt no regret in stealing whatever food the bomb-maker fetched for himself. The mean was sneaky, but not all too bright in hiding spots.

The dark-skinned man winced as once again, the pain in his head throbbed.

_'-isten!'_

He paused. And looked around to make sure. Ilia was still tending to Impaz, and Midna was...staring. At him, to be precise. The hairs on the back of his neck prickled as he stared right back at her, ignoring the feeling of transparency. And then she licked her lips.

Renado shuddered.

_'They're partners. Oh Farore, have mercy on us.'_

And then it felt like someone was pouring liquid fire down his spine. The man tensed to the point of pain, beyond that, and more, as the food in his stomach churned in response.

_'You will Listen.' _A voice said.

Not a voice, he realized. Voices don't reach down your throat and pull your innards into the world.

This was not the first time he had been called in such a manner. It came with the job, a job he had foolishly chosen to be apprenticed into by the last shaman of the village, thinking it would be easy and without much work. And then, two years into his apprenticeship, his teacher introduced him to the Spirits of the Hyrule via a very nasty concoction that left him feverish for two days straight and with a Voice that turned his bones to mush with each syllable.

_'Healing Spring. Tell her.'_

And then the spirit left, and Renado was once again alone in his head. Which was scarier then one would think.

But Renado showed no outward signs of what just transpired beyond a sigh and a straightening of his posture. Even so, the knowing look on Midna's face made it clear she at least grasped that something had happened. He didn't want to know why.

He placed the bowl with the medicine in her lap, and sat down in his chair beside her.

Checking to see that Ilia was still tending to Impaz (What _was_ she doing, he privately wondered), Renado leaned back and pinched the bridge of his nose. And things were looking so hopeful too...

"It seems Miss Midna, that you only suffered a bout of dehydration and shock. Nothing too major to worry about. A bit of rest and you should be out of here soon enough."

The woman did not look like this was unexpected. Renado was glad for this small fortune. Many villagers had taken to fretting over the silliest of things. Just yesterday he had to explain to a nearly hysterical man that the reason he was sick is because, well, everyone else was sick, and that if Renado could have ended it already he would have.

Renado supposed there just were some things that a monster in a tunic and a magic sword couldn't fix.

"I'll be out of your hair soon enough," Midna said with a graceful smile that swiftly turned vicious, "once, that is, I know where that ungrateful mutt is."

* * *

The night air of Kakariko Village stung at Midna's skin in a way not entirely unlike the damned desert. The dryness was obvious, but even moreso was the amount of despair, sickness, and death that the air tasted of. Even someone who hadn't practically lived and dined in the company of death's personal pet for months would have been able to feel it.

She had asked for Link's location, but unsurprisingly Renado had not known much, only that he was hanging around Rusl, last he saw them. Which was perfectly fine with her. She had a rough idea of where they would be, and if worse came to worse she could signal for Link with her magic quite easily.

The hole in her head was far more worrisome though. Not literally, as goddess or not there would be hell to pay if someone had done something to her hair, but the gaping nothing in her mental shields certainly was not the parting gift that Midna expected from Farore. It took her a moment to realize what was wrong when she had woken, and the effort she exerted in not breaking into hysteria was monumental when she found out, but the gateway was inactive. No echoes from the past, no upfront view of some cruelly inventive death...

It was too good to hope for that Farore had messed up. Just like it was too good to hope that that Spirit that had nearly ripped Renado from reality with its message was passing on news about the neighbors. The shaman certainly had no idea just how dangerous it was to mess with those things. That kind of recklessness endeared him to her, to be honest.

And so, here she found herself. Alone in the night with nothing but her clothes (which weren't much), and a free pass in her mind to any stray memories that happened to come by.

Obviously, Midna couldn't close it. In point of fact, Midna found that she couldn't even muster up the will to cover that oh so obvious weakness. Someone had gone to trouble make sure of that last part actually. And as maddening as it was, the Twilight Princess respected the cleverness of the design. Which really only meant that she wished she hadn't stopped at just that one punch.

Midna looked towards the town, taking note of how Malo Mart had a discount that was only going to last until dawn. The rest of the populace though, seemed torn between making merry and making hell. She saw a couple of people crowding around one of the doctors Midna recognized from the caravan, while others went about singing as loud as they could from their watchposts.

_'Tsk, idiots,' _Midna thought with royal disgust. She never was one to participate in celebrations, having ealized at a young age that she quite easily ruin such things with too few words and a winning smile.

Facing the other direction, Midna stated on the path towards the spring. Renado's house was located on the outskirts of the village, closest to the spring. She realized this was such because with the Goron's practically living as welcome mats at the entrance, someone of some degree of competence needed to be near the other, and with a healing spring to boot as well.

The spring looked quite the same as usual. The undercurrent of magic and not-quite magic was the same, and the refreshing energies susurrated softly with the ebb and flow of the water. There were chicken's here, surprisingly healthy looking ones, and they walked back and forth in front of the spring, almost like wat-

* * *

The Chosen One raised his shield to block the ferocious blow. Any other person would have had their arm shatter under the force, but the Chosen One grit his teeth and bore with it.

The shade opposite of him delivered another overhand strike, repeating the same action from before like a puppet.

The Chosen One's arm did not last the second attack. His shield held, but suddenly, he could no longer hold it in his hand. He was dimly aware that some sort of pain should have followed already, but the call of his opponents sword drew more of his attention than any passing thought.

He passed under the high horizontal strike. If his opponent weren't so absurdly larger than him, he would have risked some sort of attack with his body, but Demise proved to be more than prepared for any such things.

Lightning rained down all around them. Magic -because no amount of electricity could ever have more Life than the sky itself- raced out in all directions as it touched the ground, hindering more than helping the Chosen One in his one-man war. Demise took the blasts like they were mere splashes of water, while the fates' chosen had nearly died from the shock of feeling _deathgenocidebirthtemperance _run across his living flesh like livewire.

He could faintly make out in the surface of the water, many of his likeness, many of the demon kings likeness, and so many much more than just two magical swords crashing into each other.

But his questions died before they were born. Because Demise was not a tolerant abomination, nor even a patient one.

* * *

-ch dogs.

And suddenly finding herself looking into the eyes of the Hero's Shade, as she had come to call it, did not make her sudden return to reality feel any better than if she found herself with a knife at her throat. Indeed, at least the knife could only kill her.

Midna swallowed the bile in her throat, cursed how easy that was becoming, and stared at the Shade and made a gesture that would have sent poor Ilia running from the area.

"_My_ turn." The princess growled. "Tell me something useful or I swear I'm ripping your vocal cords out and threading a sweater out of them. I can do it too." The matter of if she was willing to try was not brought up.

The Hero's Shade seemed to hesitate. Whether it was amused or not was hard to tell; spirits and others of their ilk had an unnatural and unfair advantage when it came to the pokerface department.

The Twilight Princess needn't suffer the silence long however, because soon, the too-familiar voice of the Past Ones came and dripped their intent into her soul.

"The paths have changed. The land is crying. To what extent are you willing to go?"

The princess snarled. "To damnation and destruction! To repentance and forgiveness!"

The creature paused as the paradoxical words and their meaning worked its way into the world. Midna was sure that the local Light Spirit was watching them, but she was feeling rather exhibitionistic all of a sudden.

". . . I am willing to become the Protector of Truth, to guide errant echoes away from your Shrine."

_'Translation: I'll fill that hole in your head right up.'_

Midna's reply was instant. "No."

If there was one thing she's learned so far, it was that messing with anything divine or even spiritually benevolent always seemed to come back to stab her through the foot. Well, she was rather tired of bleeding through her big toe, thank you very much.

"I did not say you had a choice in the matter."

How perfectly blunt. And perfectly evil too.

The Hero's Shade disappears, erased from ever being there, but Midna throws up all the magical protection around her she can muster because _Nononononononono!_

But it's useless, because suddenly there's a hole in her magicks, reflecting the one in her mind, and suddenly she feels that tingly and all around delightful sensation of taking in the essence of another creature of the Light realm. And Midna cusses and swears and even blasts the healing spring, but can't stop the feeling relieved at feeling whole and _powerful_ once more.

And then she kneels down in the healing spring, rubs the pure water over her hands, and waits for the world to start making sense again.

**End Chapter 6**


	7. Chapter 7: The Fire

**Chapter 7**

The spring was silent as the Twilight Princess lounged in its waters. Chickens clucked and cuckooed as they went about their business around her.

There were no memories to perturb her. No shadows of what-never-was or could-have-been's to muddle her mind. Icy dread crawled over her skin like a lethargic insect. Freedom from the madness of sweet nothings and absolute truths in exchange for any pound of flesh the Spirit demanded.

Suddenly, she snarled. She was no peasant, desperate for her liege's aid. She was the Shadow's damned Twilight Princess!

The beast was gone from sight, but Midna knew that that mattered little to those powerful enough.

She cursed. She cursed and cussed and swore to the ends of Time and Twilight's Dawn for all she was worth. Magic clung to each syllable, sometimes innocently, sometimes with the sensual nuance of an assassin. Midna knew many words, and several languages of her realm, and she exploited each and every one of them to the best of her ability if only to vent a fraction of her hate for the divine.

"You are quite lovely like this, princess."

Midna swirled around, her magic already lashing out at the intruder, and there, within the deeper waters was-

The fire spread across the land, slowly and gently, swallowing her people with affection and care and pain. She opened her arms and welcomed the fire, shedding tears of forgiveness and regret. The sun born flames sashayed over to her, and the woman danced and loved, swearing her and her kin's lives and children to it. The flames wrapped around her like a blanket, protecting her and killing her with all the practiced ease of a gentle mother. The princess smiled, for once at peace with the world, and closed her eyes, relinquishing all to the clean-

The knockback into the world left Midna staggering backwards. She heaved as if all within her threatened to leave her. For a moment she wondered if this was what disembowelment felt like.

She thought back to the experience-

…fiReFIreFIReFIR-

-and ignored the psychic sledgehammer as best as she could.

Fire. Forgiveness.

_Goddess._

Recomposing herself, Midna stood tall and glared in the general direction of the entity, very nearly incinerating her soul in the process. Dealing with goddesses was never safe or sane.

"Din."

The name felt heavy to her. Like stones. It took more effort than it should have to call the name of the goddess.

Din smiled, as Midna noticed the goddesses were wont to do.

"Scum."

Midna smiled back through the continuing psychic backlash of the vision. It seemed she had pissed off someone powerful again. She wondered what that said about her that it made her feel good?

Din began to laugh. That most precious of feelings, hope, sprung from within the twili as she heard the song no bard could sing.

Hope from the gods was poison to the heart. Midna had had enough of hope. Let the Light wallow in its hope.

Indeed, the spring around them seemed to shine even more as the goddess left her impression on the world. Midna could almost see the fires of Creation intertwine with the magic of the sacred waters. Undoubtedly the spring would prove to be an invaluable source of healing for years to come.

Midna mentally noted not to drink from the water from now on.

"What do you want from me this time, hotstuff?"

"Scum." The Golden One said once more, hammering the word into Midna with more force this time.

The princess sucked in her breath as she felt the sucker punch to her soul. But still, she held on.

"Scum."

It was like being torn inside out and being deemed unworthy of something very precious to her. Midna bit the inside of her cheek to keep from falling to the words. This was no magic. This was something else.

"Scum."

The world was beginning to spin.

"Scum."

Midna brought a hand to her nose and noticed it was bleeding.

"…_Midna."_

Let it never be said that she was weak-willed. No mere individual could be as tempered through fire as Midna was. She would sooner cut her own throat before bowing to another being, even if the price were a child's life.

But Din was a goddess. She could break the world with but a whim and fix it at a moment's wish. It was truly fortunate that she and her kin were at peace with each other, lest they brought upon the existence of creatures fouler and more destructive than any other. Midna was a mortal. Any comparison would be a disservice to the Mother of the world, and an insult to Midna as well.

She dared not compare herself to Din; she knew what kind of monsters inside her head came out to play in the darkness.

Midna had had plenty of lovers in the past, but the soul-searing painful emotion that threatened to erupt past her carefully crafted shell was enough to drive her to her knees.

But the princess excised that part of her with all the brutal efficiency of a bullheaded Bulbin. One does not thrive among the blue-blooded without some degree of mental surgery after all.

Midna breathed in the air around her hungrily. She sucked in the life and the power crackling in the air and willed herself to stand before the Golden One. Somehow, Midna got the impression that Din was surprised, which was more than astounding and all kinds of disconcerting.

Her reply was one word: "_Bitch._"

Later she would wonder why it was her encounters with the Din, Nayru, and Farore always seemed to be peppered with dramatic little moments like this. Taunting and mind-imploding teasing followed by Midna trying to punch out their two front teeth.

This however, was a bit more complicated than a haymaker.

Midna released the shadow magicks that she had breathed into her body. She blew it out, its form that of a bloody and inky mist that encircled the entire spring, and all that touched the mist throbbed as if with pain.

This was a devilry of a piece of work normally, Midna knew. It took time and preparation and more justification to use it than she had at that moment. If any extrasensory people came by they'd be tempted to crucify her on the spot but _dammit_, goddess or not, nobody fucked with the fabric of her soul.

The entire spring began to cry. Metaphysical nails and thumbscrews applied to the spirit of the land, twisting it inwardly and away from normal sight. Torture on another level entirely echoed as the mist settled and seeped in, binding itself and wrecking some of Time's greatest work in seconds. Outwardly, everything looked the same, but many of magic's greatest feats were ne'er so plebeian as to be seen.

Salt and burn so to speak.

The spring died.

Most would call her insane and vainglorious. Midna would have to agree with them.

It still looked beautiful. No one would be able to deny that. But beauty was fleeting, even in nature. It would never be the-

A thrum of limitless power, a _whoosh_, and a miracle later the spring was normal once more.

The Twilight Princess stared and suddenly felt very mortal.

Din –suddenly behind her– wrapped her arms around Midna and put her head on the blue woman's shoulder. "My land is not yours to toy with, Princess."

Ah. Right.

This land was Din's land. One of her personal creations, even. It mattered not that she and the rest of the Golden Three had less boundaries with each other than any mortal, because Midna remembered very faintly a legend of the goddess shaping the land with her hands herself. And legends were far more reliable than any book.

Midna had just tried to maim Din's _child._

"My land, Princess. My spring. My village. My country. My people. My Hero. You are merely borrowing my possessions, Midna. Everything you currently possess, everything you ever will even possibly possess is mine. Ours." Din's voice came out husky and even-paced. "Your land belongs to me. Your people belong to me. All that glitters and all that slimes is Ours, _Princess._"

The goddess gently breathed along her neck, every bit as delightful and magnificent as before, only infinitesimally more enticing and impossibly more dangerous. It was akin to outrunning an avalanche.

Din kept speaking. "Your soul belongs to me. Your magic belongs to me. Your children will belong to me. There is nowhere you can exist without being mine, Princess. You can struggle and curse and defy Us, and We will indulge your tragic wish, for We are not so malicious as to force you to come to that realization. But your tears will make us weep, because what else can a mother do for her stubborn child when the bows have been strung and–"

A sudden, sickening sound of not-flesh being pierced interrupted her.

Midna looked down at Din's chest. There was a sword coming out of it.

"Leave us." Said a voice.

There was a grunt, followed by the sound of something heavy hitting something immaterial.

Right beside her, Din had somehow managed to stumble forward so perfectly a queen would have sacrificed three countries for lessons.

A reassuring presence stood beside her now, sword in hand. Midna took a glance at the beast. Maggots waved at her cheerfully from their holes in the monster's skin. The ghastly forever-grin of the long-dead stared right back at her and chattered.

Forever Dusk, _this _was what taught her wolf the ways of the Chosen?

"You have threatened my abode once already, usurper. Shall I sound the howl of war?" said the beast, its jaw moving and clacking in a mockery of a real mouth.

The fire-haired goddess laughed heartily and jumped back. "And so a monster answers your call for help once more, Princess. What hells shall it visit in your name, I wonder. What evils shall it wrought-"

_It moved, ignoring the constraints of time and space, decapitating the goddess even before she had begun, before she had even moved, and sent the head flying-_

And suddenly causality was restored. Midna stared at the now headless form of Din unsurprisingly bereft of blood…or…anything else really. All was quiet for a moment until suddenly she let out a low whistle of awe.

"…burn." said Din's head from its position on the ground. There was no joy, instead, all the miseries of the world cried out in synergy as the goddess spoke.

Din vanished.

The world seemed just a little bit dimmer with her departure.

The beast turned to her. Midna glared at it. Daring it to try and pull the same move.

Instead, it grinned. Somehow. It had naught but a skull yet that skull gave off the impression of actual amusement. There was nothing but inky blackness in its eye sockets but Midna knew that the creature was observing her reaction. It quickly sheathed its sword…somewhere. Some sort of not-space took the blade with a faint hiss, leaving the creature unarmed, but not truly unaided.

The beast spread its arms wide and cackled up at the sky. The Twilight Princess felt her whole being thrum in sympathy with the monster.

"I take it, I have earned my stay?" Said the Spirit.

Midna hesitated but nodded. "You planned this, didn't you?" She stated, her tone not accusatory.

The Spirit shifted into the form of the Golden Wolf, and let out a bark of laughter. "I am flattered that you think I can so easily manipulate the goddesses."

"They're goddesses." She said drily, "They're fairly predictable. Something such as you…" And here she trailed off, as if for the first time realizing she didn't know what the 'something' before her was.

The Wolf Spirit neither confirmed nor denied her response. Instead, it began circling Midna slowly, predatorily. "Something such as I, hmm?"

"I'm not scared of you." Midna lied.

The Spirit's eyes weighed heavily on her. "Your bluffing belies your intelligence, twili."

"Your attitude belies your smell, Spirit." Oh Shadows dammit, she could not keep her mouth shut even if she sewed it.

An oppressive feeling gripped her, silently choking her as she lingered in the magnificent aberration's presence.

"You should leave. Go. Find your boy." Said the spirit.

"No."

The monster stared at her. "You should-"

Midna reacted, with far more gut instinct and enough foolhardiness that she would blame it all on the pumped up tension later. Thick misty chains grabbed the creature from behind by the throat and pulled it down. It fell unceremoniously in such a way that it almost convinced Midna that the thing was actually surprised.

The Twilight Princess did not give it a moment's rest. She was already conjuring a large shadowy weapon, which may or may not have had the likeness of the Master Sword.

As soon as the beast was down, she stabbed it with the shadow weapon.

And the monster arced in faux-pain so beatifically that Midna could not help but let out the hysteric giggle that had been building up since her first encounter in the spring.

"I am the Twilight Princess, Spirit!" She jerked and twisted her blade. "Do not think me yours to order around. I grabbed Power's Chosen by his demon horns and ripped them off! I've punched Farore herself in the face for daring to play with _my_ wolf!"

She kicked the thing in the face with her foot, and felt sadistically satisfied when she saw the skull cave-in from the blow.

"I have died tens of thousands of times and in every single one of those times, I have come back stronger and smarter for it. The goddesses presumed to inform me that I'm supposed to let this farce of an existence go on for Link, the only other unfortunate bastard to go through the same thing I have. Hell no.

"I'm here, and I'm ready to cut off more than bits of skin to get what I want, so tell me now Spirit, sell your stuff to me really well, or I swear on my people's blood that I will make sure your existence is as mortal as possible."

She finished the rant in a huff, her breathing heavy and her hands grasping the sword still going through the beast's gut in an effort to hide her trembling. She glared down at the thing, the abomination beneath her with all the hatred she could muster. It stared silently back at her.

She could understand why her people rebelled against the goddesses, if this was the sort of thing they had to put up with.

The thing beneath her shifted form, dispersing the magic in her sword as easily as dandelions. Now it was the Golden Wolf once more, majesty and deceit personified.

"Hair," it said. "Give me your hair."

The redhead blanched. "Excuse me?"

"All debts must be repaid." It said, "Then, we talk."

Midna looked down at it and sneered. She was hesitant to do so, mostly because she knew too many ways in which a simple bit of her body could be used for damnable deeds (she herself having experimented in her youth), but with a quick snap of magic she removed a fistful of her own red locks and offered it to the beast.

The Wolf prodded her hand with its snout, before its eyes met hers and she could almost see the smirk happen behinds its eyes.

The Spirit shifted form once more, but Midna stood her ground. After the first time, the miracle (for it was definitely not magic that let it defy reality) lost its glamour. It grabbed the hair from her hand, brought it to its caved-in skull and….sniffed?

"Power…power such as this has not been seen in this realm for millennia." It said, sounding both enormously satisfied and ineffably wise at the same time. "And it is this power of yours that will allow you to break the gods' grip on your pet."

Midna sighed, wondering when the headache was going to start.

She looked at the sky, and noted it was currently twilight. How perfectly timed.

Stupid dramatic goddesses.

"Quit the riddles monster, lest you want your tail pulled. Why are you blocking the memories? Why do you challenge the greatest authority in the realm so brazenly?"

The beast looked away to the side, much like Link whenever he was acting guilty of something while in his wolf body. "Farore, Nayru, and Din may be my goddesses, but they are not my masters. My sword slays all in honor of a name long since forgotten by Time and her children."

Midna got the hint to drop it. "And the memories?"

The wolf snorted. "Redirected to a more suitable destination."

"Where?" She demanded. She shuddered to think of the effect of Wisdom's shard on anybody else.

The Spirit changed its form once more. The corpse disguise fell away to reveal Link, dead and naked, the top half of his torso mutilated beyond recognition. "I must say, I can't remember the last time I've been killed like this before. It's almost entertaining."

The Twilight Princess looked and…looked….and looked….and looked….

_Too much_. _Too much. Too much._

And suddenly Midna ripped her gaze away from the inhuman body. Knowledge threatening to overflow the floodgates of her mind. The freezing, almost clammy embrace of death hung around her as she tried to regain her breathing. What kind of creature was she dealing with that just glimpsing it for as short a time as she did filled her mind with centuries of history?

Something shook her shoulder, jolting her from her reminiscing. "I apologize, I did not believ-"

"You're a bit on the scrawny side, you know that?" Midna interrupted for the second time that day. "Looking a bit peaky too."

The Spirit stared at her, nothing but the faint soft _pat_ of one of its maggots falling off, and Midna wanted to believe its mouth was just a bit more open than usual too.

It chuckled and then said, "No wonder that boy is so fond of you."

She pretended not to know whom it was referring to.

Closing her eyes, Midna began to walk away. She did not have to see to know the Spirit was following her. "You spoke of my power. Explain."

There came the sound of a supremely powerful spiritual being contemplating its answer. It was quite loud.

Here again Midna rued learning the arcane knowledge known as magic; if she had wanted to abuse her senses mercilessly she'd have been better off staring into the sun. At least then there wasn't the chance of complete spiritual immolation every time something powerful so much as sneezed.

"There is a reason the goddesses were so harsh in your people's punishment, princess." The creature began, prowling around her as Midna walked into Renado's house. The creature passed through all the solid objects as if they weren't there. "What? Did you think your people were the most heinous and vicious in their pursuit of the goddess' leftovers?"

As a matter of fact, Midna did. It had even been a point a pride for her, growing up. Of course, back then she had deluded herself into thinking that it was because the goddesses were _scared_ of her people, and not the other way around. But such was youth.

The Spirit growled, jolting the twili from her thoughts.

"The death of a newborn or the death of an elder matter little in the scheme of things. As soon as you can tell me who my sword should be going through, you can speak of monsters, but until then, kindly rein in your thoughts. Now, let me tell you a story."

It took Midna a second to realize the Spirit was joking. Or something close to it anyways. She was getting tired of all the subtlety.

The Spirit continued. "Your people…they were memorable…the gods were thrifty with their gifts back then, but your kind's offerings were particularly grandiose. I suppose, then, that was why their punishment was so unique compared to the other races."

Midna let out a small contemplative sound. It made sense. A balancing of the scales so to speak.

"You mortals fought over that Golden _Toy," _and here the Spirit spat out the word with enough hate Midna thought he'd gone mad, "like dogs over a dinner scrap. Even your tribe, with all its gifts and glory already given, when you were presented with the slightest impossible chance you were the first to leap at it.

"But that is why you are special, twili. To have bedded and dined with the goddesses as your people have leaves a mark on you; not enough to truly warrant the title of divine, but enough to give big men with small hearts enough bluster to bite the hand that feeds them."

"That's a fair enough deduction I suppose," Midna said as she mulled over it, "but how is that useful to me at all?"

For the first time, true amusement emanated from the Spirit. It was like walking into a butcher's shop, smelly not all-together sanity preserving. "You will find that I have been many places and many times and seen many _many_ things."

"I don't doubt it." She said drily. What a surreal existence that must be.

"And now here you come, sleeping in the boy's shadow like your own bed. You are touched by the gods twice over now, because that scared little girl sitting in her tower swallowed her pride and begged two monsters to aid Hyrule, giving more of herself to a shade than should ever be done.

"But it's not over now, is it? The twice-touched monster and the Hairy Beast look for the cursed mirror and save the land. But the little monster has been having ideas by now, thoughts and dreams when she is not asleep. She does not want to let the Beast go now, she does not wish to return to her people.

"So what do the gods do? They talk to her, and ask her, and even plead with her to let it be for now and to abandon the Beast, because never let it be said that they aren't fair and just and amazing in their ineffability.

"But the little monster in woman's skin spits in their faces and stomps on their good will. The little monster takes the shreds of the Triforce left to her, and boldly declares war on the heavens, in the vain and entirely selfish hope to cut the leash between the Beast and the Great Ones.

And so the little monster becomes thrice-touched by divinity.

In the end, the little monster fails and the Beast mourns her passing, before its master tugs on its tether and it moves on."

Silence reigned.

"I will help you, little monster, not because I like you. Not because of that plain little emotion that binds you to the boy. But because in you I see a capacity for something these stories have longed for."

"And what's that?"

"_Change!" _And the innocent wonder in the voice made her double-take. "Rare are the ones so blessed as you, and even rarer so are the ones with the drive to defy all that is good about the world several times over. Your power is not tangible one, but it is dangerous nevertheless."

Midna snorted. It seemed the goddesses were not so used to rejection. It reminded her of her chambermaids and their incessant drama over who snuck a shag in with who. "Far as I seem to recall, telling them to get their own wolf-boy has resulted in me being quite intimate with all manners of dying. Dangerous for who, exactly, is this 'power' of mine?"

The thing before her vanished. "That remains to be seen. Now go. I am busy. Wars to plot and deaths to experience."

The Twilight Princess rolled her eyes. On its own head be it, then. Or hers. Whichever didn't get her killed or insane by the morn.

**End Chapter 7**


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